Salama Shaibu, one of the students kidnapped from Bethel Baptist High School in 2021, has opened up about the harrowing experience she endured in the hands of bandits.
Speaking in an interview on Brekete Family, a human rights radio program, Shaibu recounted the terrifying moment when the kidnappers tried to break their spirits by forcing them to make an impossible choice.
After leading the abducted students deep into the bush, the bandits gave them food. But what came next was chilling. The captors demanded that the students choose ten among themselves to be executed—just to prove they were serious and to pressure their families into paying ransom.
Shaibu recalled how, in that moment of fear and desperation, she considered offering herself as one of the ten. “I thought to myself, the seniors have lived longer, they’ve enjoyed life more than us. Maybe they should go first,” she admitted. “At one point, I even wanted to be a hero and volunteer, but my classmate held me back. She said, ‘We won’t die here. The seniors should go before us.’”
It all felt unreal—like a nightmare that wouldn’t end. But as the hours turned into a full day in captivity, reality sank in.
You can watch the video from here at 16:32
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