By Peace Udugba
Hope has become both a burden and a daily prayer for Professor Wole Alamu, whose wife, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, Principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, remains among those abducted during a violent school attack on Friday, May 15, 2026.
Since the incident, life for the university lecturer and Dean at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology has been defined by anxious waiting — for news, for updates, and for a safe return that has yet to materialise.
Speaking on Tuesday in a telephone interview with Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Prof. Alamu appealed to Nigerians to remain united in prayers and to support ongoing rescue efforts.
“Nigerians should not relent in praying for a peaceful resolution of the matter,” he said.
He had earlier expressed confidence in rescue operations during an interview with the same station on May 20, 2026, but said his hopes now depend on intensified efforts and national solidarity.
Mrs. Alamu was abducted alongside teachers, pupils, and school administrators during the attack in the Oriire axis of Oriire Local Government Area. Police figures indicate that 18 primary school pupils, seven secondary school students, and seven teachers are still missing. Community leaders, however, estimate that as many as 46 persons may have been taken.
The attack also claimed the lives of two teachers, including one who died during the initial assault and another, identified as mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun, who reportedly died in captivity.
For Prof. Alamu, the crisis is deeply personal rather than statistical. The LAUTECH dean had earlier made an emotional appeal to Governor Seyi Makinde on May 30, breaking down in tears while calling for intensified rescue operations. He also described repeated sightings of his wife in captivity videos as “disheartening and depressing.”
In one of the latest videos reportedly released from captivity on Monday, Mrs. Alamu dismissed claims of religious demands by the abductors, describing them as false. She urged Nigerians not to politicise the situation and said the abductors were demanding the release of certain individuals in custody. She also stated that the captives had not been harmed or subjected to religious coercion.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force says it has intensified aerial surveillance across affected communities in Oyo State, including Yawota and Ahoro-Esiele, as part of ongoing search-and-rescue operations. Security agencies — including the police, the Amotekun Corps, and forest guards — are also carrying out coordinated ground operations.
Authorities say the abductees have now spent about three weeks in captivity.
For the affected families, each passing day remains a test of endurance — sustained by faith, fear, and a single plea that continues to echo: that Nigerians should not stop praying for their safe return.
