The principal of Community High School, Esiele in Oyo State, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, has made a fresh appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, urging them to negotiate with the kidnappers holding her, other teachers and schoolchildren captive.
Mrs. Alamu, in a new viral video recorded from captivity, warned that the lives of the abductees had become more endangered following what she described as a failed rescue attempt by security operatives.
The visibly distressed principal said the use of force by security agencies had worsened their situation, alleging that one of the victims had been singled out for execution by the abductors.
“Please I am here again to beg the government, President Tinubu and the governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, to please help us and dialogue with these people,” she pleaded.
“They should not use force. The force they used yesterday has caused us so much. It has added to our problems. In fact, one of us has been picked that they are going to kill him because government tried to help us by force.”
She added, “We want you to call them and dialogue with them so that our lives will be saved.”
In another video where she spoke in Yoruba, Mrs. Alamu emotionally appealed for mercy, revealing that the victims had spent nearly two weeks in harsh conditions inside the forest.
“Please, help us. We beg you in the name of God, please have mercy on us. This is too much. In the sun and in the rain. Both old and young, we are in the same place,” she said.
“Today marks the 13th day since we were kidnapped. We don’t want you to fight them at all. Whatever they ask for, please, give to them.”
Another abducted teacher, Mary Akanbi, who is reportedly nursing a baby, also appealed to Governor Makinde to negotiate with the kidnappers for their release.
“We are pleading with Governor Seyi Makinde, please help us, negotiate with these people. Whatever they want, please give to them. We are all here; we the teachers and the students,” she said.
Mrs. Alamu was among several teachers, pupils and residents abducted after heavily armed gunmen invaded schools and surrounding communities in Esiele and Yawota areas of Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
The attackers reportedly stormed LA Primary School and Community Grammar School in Ahoro-Esiele Community, shooting sporadically and throwing residents into panic.
At least one teacher was reportedly killed during the attack, while Mrs. Alamu, two vice principals, three other teachers and several schoolchildren were abducted by the assailants.
In an earlier video released from captivity, the school principal had appealed to the Federal Government, Oyo State Government, the Christian Association of Nigeria and well-meaning Nigerians to intervene peacefully to secure their release.
The latest footage surfaced amid reports that security agencies had intensified operations around forest areas believed to be the hideout of the kidnappers.
The Oyo State Government had earlier disclosed that security operatives had sealed off escape routes linked to the abductors around the National Park axis.
Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, said coordinated rescue operations involving the Nigerian Army, Police, Amotekun Corps, Civil Defence Agro Rangers and local hunters were ongoing.
According to the government, intelligence indicated that the kidnappers were still operating within forest corridors around the state.
Meanwhile, worried parents and residents have continued to call for urgent intervention to rescue the abducted teachers and children alive.
One of the parents, Mrs. Aduke Balogun, had earlier narrated in a viral video how gunmen dressed in military camouflage invaded the community and abducted her daughter, Kehinde Kaosara.
“In Esiele, we are begging you. Our children went to school. It was after 9am when we truly saw the kidnappers. They wore Army uniforms,” she said.
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“Before we understood what was going on, they started shooting and all of us ran away. I later saw my daughter, Kehinde Kaosara, among the abducted children.”
Residents also alleged that the gunmen forced Mrs. Alamu to drive the abducted pupils into a forest reserve using her Toyota Corolla before the vehicle was later set ablaze.
Chairman of the Esiele community, Amusa Wakilu, confirmed that the burnt vehicle was later discovered near an entrance leading into the forest.
A local farmer, Micheal Ojo, whose relatives were among the victims, also recounted how the attackers forced the principal to transport the children deeper into the bush after killing a teacher during the invasion.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants, dressed in military camouflage, carried out the attack while many residents were away on their farms.
Apart from the abducted victims, a commercial motorcyclist and an assistant headmaster identified as Joel Adesiyan were reportedly killed, while several motorcycles were stolen by the fleeing gunmen.
The incident has further heightened concerns over growing insecurity in parts of Oyo State, especially communities located around forest reserves increasingly linked to kidnapping and armed banditry.