The rescued principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, Alamu Folawe, on Monday, narrated the ordeal she and other abducted victims experienced while in captivity.

Ms Folawe, who spoke during the official handover of the rescued victims to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde by the Nigerian Army, said the terrorists deliberately killed two of the victims to pressure the government into accepting their demands.

“Mr Michael was killed on the second day, while deacon was killed on the first Sunday in June. They killed them purposely because they felt that would force the government to give them whatever they wanted.

“It wasn’t until we got out that we discovered the whole world was on our case. We have scars already, but we believe with time we will heal,” she said.

She noted that abductors used fear and psychological intimidation to weaken the victims, citing alleged abandonment by the government.

“We’re grateful to God. On May 15, a Friday that started well, ended in chaos for us, and for 56 days, we were in the bush. It was a harrowing experience, but we thank God for seeing us through. We went through a lot.

“A relief to us is that Nigerians were praying for us. Many times, they used fear to subdue us. At one point, they told us the government wasn’t interested in our case anymore because they didn’t value us. But there were times we held on to hope that we would come out alive,” she explained.

While appreciating Nigerians for their prayers, Ms Folawe thanked President Bola Tinubu, Mr Makinde and the security agencies involved in the rescue operation.

Bandits abducted the victims from three schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15.

The development triggered massive protests from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and some human rights groups, who called on Messrs Makinde and Tinubu to ensure their immediate and safe rescue.

The victims were released on Friday.