The principal of Community High School, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs. Folake Alamu, has revealed that two teachers abducted alongside pupils during the May 2026 school attack were murdered by their captors while in captivity.
Mrs. Alamu made the disclosure on Monday after she and the rescued pupils and teachers were formally received by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde at the Government House in Ibadan, following their release after spending 56 days in the kidnappers’ den.
According to the principal, the abductors first killed the school’s Mathematics teacher, Mr. M. Oyedokun, on the second day of the abduction. She further disclosed that another teacher, Mr. John Olaleye, was executed on the first Sunday of June 2026.
She said the kidnappers claimed the killings were in response to the sustained pressure mounted on them by security agencies during efforts to rescue the victims.
“There were times we believed all of us would come out alive. The terrorists killed Mr. Michael, the first teacher, on the second day of our abduction, and Deacon, the second teacher, was killed on the first Sunday of June,” she said.
“They killed them purposely because they thought it would force the hand of the government to provide them whatever they wanted. They already knew the whole world was interested in our case. We have scars already, and we believe God will heal us. We appreciate everyone that contributed to this success.”
Mrs. Alamu recounted the harrowing experience endured by the victims, explaining that they spent most of the 56 days in the open forest, exposed to harsh weather conditions while struggling to keep the children alive and emotionally strong.
“You can only imagine it. It was not easy. We were in the forest, in the open, most of the time, under the sun and under the rain, with the children. But we kept going because there was no way out.
“We knew it was only God that could help us, and we believed people were praying for us. That kept us going,” she added.
The principal also disclosed that while she was not physically assaulted, many of the younger pupils suffered severe beatings whenever they cried or made noise, describing the experience as traumatic for both the children and the teachers.
The rescued victims were reunited with the Oyo State Government after undergoing medical treatment and psychosocial evaluation by the Nigerian Army following their release on Friday.
The Oriire school abduction, which lasted 56 days, claimed the lives of two teachers before the remaining pupils and staff eventually regained their freedom, bringing an end to one of Oyo State’s most tragic school kidnapping incidents in recent years.
