According to a report by Nigerian Tribune on Monday, June 8, 2026, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, principal of Community High School, Esiele in Oyo State, has denied claims making the rounds online that her kidnappers wanted to convert her to Islam or establish Sharia rule.
Speaking from her captivity in a video that has since gone viral, she urged Nigerians to avoid what she called misleading and unsubstantiated information being disseminated about the situation, and she made the explanation in that video.
The kidnapped principal pleaded with the audience in the video, asking them not to disseminate rumours that the kidnappers were demanding money, weapons, or religious observances.
She was adamant that these stories weren’t true and didn’t reflect their reality.
She claimed that the spread of false information was doing more harm than good by causing further misunderstanding about the plight of the captives and making their situations worse.
In addition, according to Mrs. Alamu, the kidnappers had not tried to impose any belief system on the captives or put them under any type of religious pressure since their abduction.
The abductors had neither discussed or done anything to compel religious conversion or ideological influence, she stressed.
The purpose of her remarks was to dispel what she saw as widespread misconceptions about the case and correct public opinion.
Furthermore, she insisted that the kidnappers’ sole demand was the release of a few of people linked to them.
Other assertions circulating on social media and in public forums, according to her, were false; this was the only requirement communicated to the detainees.
Furthermore, she said that the hostages were being further distressed by the dissemination of unconfirmed details, which was making it more difficult to understand the situation correctly.
The head honcho pleaded with Nigerians not to make an issue out of the situation or make it seem political.
She begged the public to stop spreading misinformation and help dispel what she called “false narratives” about the abductors’ motivations.
She emphasised the need for everyone to do their part to prevent the situation from being twisted in a way that could undermine their continued efforts to stay safe.
In addition, Mrs. Alamu claimed that the government were to blame for the muddled scenario since they had presented the kidnappers as demanding Sharia rule, money, and guns.
Such assertions, she adamantly maintained, did not represent their actual captive experience.
She urged her fellow countrymen to back initiatives to get the word out about their real predicament, saying,
She said, “Please, we are just begging you. Don’t play politics with our lives. Nigerians, please help us to circulate this. Let it go viral.”
