Oyo school kidnap: ‘They fed the children biscuits, and the men were blindfolded and chained’ — head teacher recounts ordeal in kidnappers’ den

Rukayat Badmus 12:53 - 14 July 2026

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Oyo school principal recounts 56-day captivity and colleagues killed.

Oyo head teacher Mrs Alamu recounts the 56-day kidnapping ordeal, revealing how victims trekked for hours, children were given biscuits and male captives were chained.

Oyo head teacher Mrs Alamu said kidnappers frequently moved victims through forests whenever they suspected their location had been discovered.

She revealed that victims sometimes trekked for about four hours at night, causing bruises and injuries during the journey.

Mrs Alamu said the kidnappers initially gave the children biscuits during the first week of captivity but later stopped.

She disclosed that male victims suffered harsher treatment, as they were blindfolded, tied and chained, while confirming there was no reported case of sexual molestation.

The head teacher of one of the schools affected by the Oriire Local Government Area abduction in Oyo State, Mrs Alamu, has shared details of the 56 days she and other victims spent in captivity, revealing how the kidnappers moved them through forests, forced them to trek for hours and subjected some male victims to harsher treatment.

Speaking after their rescue, Mrs Alamu said the victims were frequently relocated by the kidnappers whenever they suspected that security agencies had discovered their location.

She explained that the constant movement was one of the most difficult parts of their ordeal, as they were made to travel through unfamiliar forest paths, mostly at night.

Rescued Oyo pupils and teachers.

“When the place is discovered, we have to move. We just start around 7 or 8 in the night. Sometimes we walked for four hours. That is most of the bruises you see on our bodies,” she said.

According to her, the children were initially given biscuits by the kidnappers during the first week of captivity, but the arrangement later stopped.

“When we started the first week, we were bringing biscuits for them, maybe to make them comfortable. But along the line, that stopped.”

Mrs Alamu said the younger children struggled with the long journeys through the forest, adding that some had to be carried by the adults.

She mentioned that some of the younger pupils, including Salam, Waliyat and Testimony, were carried during parts of the journey, while the older children walked.

The head teacher also revealed that the male victims experienced tougher conditions during the captivity, saying they were blindfolded, tied and chained by the kidnappers.

“The men, they had it worse than us, because they were blindfolded and caught and chained.”

When asked if the victims suffered any form of sexual molestation during their captivity, Mrs Alamu said there was none.

She also narrated how the victims were moved into the forest after their abduction, explaining that her vehicle was initially used to transport some of them before they continued the journey on foot.

According to her, the group later met some primary school pupils and their teacher, after which they trekked through forest paths controlled by the kidnappers.

“We walked for more than four hours. They knew their way.”

Mrs Alamu said the experience had affected her deeply after spending decades teaching in rural communities. She explained that she had worked as a teacher for 28 years and was close to retirement, but the traumatic experience had left her uncertain about returning to similar environments.

The pupils and teachers were abducted on May 15 after gunmen attacked schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, including the Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School, Esiele, and LA Primary School, Ahoro-Esiele.

After spending 56 days in captivity, the victims were rescued in a coordinated security operation involving the Nigerian Army and other security agencies.

Following their rescue, they were taken to a military medical facility in Ibadan, where they underwent medical checks and psychological evaluation before being handed over to the Oyo State Government for rehabilitation and reunification with their families.

The rescue operation came at a cost, with the Nigerian Army confirming the death of 28-year-old Lieutenant Felix Ademe Isaac, who was killed during the mission.