• Says I prayed my grave wouldn’t be in the forest
• Why I blocked contact with kidnappers, by husband

The freed abducted Principal of Community High School, Esiele in the Oriire axis of Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Rachael Alamu, has recounted the harrowing final weeks of her captivity, describing how intensified military airstrikes, hunger, illness and repeated death threats tested the resolve of the hostages before they were eventually rescued.

Alamu, who spoke yesterday during a thanksgiving service at Antioch Baptist Church, Ogbomoso, said the seventh week of captivity was the most difficult as military operations against the kidnappers intensified.

“Just one instance, apart from seeing the hand of God right from the beginning, the seventh week was the hardest for us all. That was when the troops increased their air raids. It was so intense and persistent that at one point, the fear of the bandits became secondary. We were just praying that missiles would not be accidentally dropped on us. But God kept us because we were so exposed, only covered with polythene bags and grasses,” she said.

She recalled that the kidnappers became enraged after hearing that the government had promised that the hostages would be released before the end of the week.

“They had told us the previous week that the governor said that before Friday, the next week, we would be released. So, we were calm. But when the air raids started on Tuesday, they became so furious,” she said.

“Later in the night, we started hearing shovels working. The two men with us were shouting and pleading. We all knew what that meant. They were about to bury another person. But to the glory of God, they only asked us to move because they could no longer stay in that place,” she further said.

The principal also lamented the harsh conditions in the forest, saying that hunger became a daily reality because the kidnappers were afraid smoke from cooking fires would expose their location.

The principal said she also battled illness during the final days of captivity but believed divine intervention preserved her life.
ALSO, the husband of the principal, Prof. Wole Alamu, recounted how weeks of negotiations with the abductors left him emotionally drained and battling high blood pressure.

Alamu, while speaking during the service, described the kidnapping as the greatest challenge his family had ever faced.

According to him, he communicated directly with the kidnappers for about three weeks before deciding to block their phone numbers after realising the conversations were putting his own life at risk.

He further alleged that the kidnappers left a cutlass beside his wife, apparently expecting her to take her own life.

Alamu, therefore, urged Christians to remain steadfast in their faith, saying that difficult moments often reveal the true depth of a person’s relationship with God.