The principal of Ahoro Esinle School in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, has explained why one of the first things she asked after regaining her freedom was about her car, saying she believed the police had recovered it before discovering that her abductors had burnt it.

Alamu spoke on Monday after she and the rescued teachers and pupils were formally handed over to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde at the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Ibadan.

Her explanation came after many people reacted to a remark she made shortly after she was rescued, when she asked about the vehicle she was driving on the day she and dozens of pupils and teachers were kidnapped.

“What actually happened is I thought they left the car there. The police would have towed the car to their office.

“But somebody showed me the car where it was burnt, and that was not the part we took. So I thought… I think they drove it to that point before it was burnt.

“That was not the way we took,” she said.

Asked if the traumatic experience would affect her teaching career, Alamu said she hoped she would recover with time but admitted she was unsure about returning to the same school because of the long distance and what she had been through.

“With time, I’ve worked for 28 years, so I have four years. With time, maybe I can get over it.

“But going that far, the distance between that place… is far already. So I sacrifice a lot when it comes to transportation. Now coupled with this, I don’t know what will happen,” she said.

Earlier on Monday, Alamu also recounted the victims’ 56-day ordeal in captivity. She said the kidnappers beat the children to keep them quiet, chained and blindfolded the male teachers, and forced the captives to make dangerous night journeys through the forest to avoid security operatives.

The victims were abducted by gunmen at Ahoro Esinle School on May 15, 2026. They spent 56 days in captivity before security agencies secured their release.

The Federal Government announced their rescue on Friday. The rescued pupils and teachers were taken to the Military Hospital in Ibadan, where they received medical treatment and psychosocial support before they were formally handed over to the Oyo State Government on Monday. (Nigerian Tribune)

Update news