Fayose Accuses Makinde of Using Oyo School Abduction to Tarnish Tinubu

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has accused the administration of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, of allegedly exploiting the recent abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in the state to cast President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in a bad light.

Fayose made the allegation during an appearance on a television programme, where he questioned the response of the Oyo State Government to the kidnapping incident and suggested that political interests may have shaped events surrounding the crisis.

The abduction, which involved pupils and teachers in parts of Oyo State, sparked outrage and renewed concerns over insecurity. In the wake of the incident, President Tinubu dispatched a high-powered federal delegation to the affected communities, assuring residents that every effort would be made to secure the release of the victims.

Speaking on the development, Fayose argued that security responsibilities are shared across all levels of government and should not be placed solely on the shoulders of the Federal Government.

According to him, state governments have access to security votes and other mechanisms designed to support security operations within their jurisdictions.

The former governor claimed that Governor Makinde did not take immediate action following the abduction and only visited affected families after the conclusion of political nomination processes.

“Before you get to the President in the hierarchy of governance, there is the local government and the state government. The state has security votes and there are people who are supposed to be working,” Fayose said.

He added that while his view might be disputed, he strongly suspected that the incident may have been orchestrated to embarrass the Tinubu administration.

“I strongly believe, though I might be wrong, that this may have been orchestrated. I sometimes believe that the abduction at the Oyo school was orchestrated by the Oyo State Government to blackmail President Tinubu,” he alleged.

Fayose, however, did not provide evidence to support the allegation.

Meanwhile, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has said that the security challenges confronting the country, including schoolchildren abductions, were inherited by the current administration.

Ribadu spoke during a visit to Oyo State as part of the federal delegation sent by President Tinubu following the kidnapping.

According to him, incidents of mass abductions and other forms of insecurity have troubled the country for more than two decades and predate the present administration.

“Mr President is doing wonderful and strong things that will help us overcome these challenges. Most of these things were inherited. It is not today. These evil people have been with us for two decades or more,” Ribadu said.

The National Security Adviser assured residents that the Federal Government remained committed to tackling insecurity and securing the release of those held captive.

He expressed confidence that ongoing security operations and policy measures introduced by the Tinubu administration would gradually reverse the trend of kidnappings and other violent crimes across the country.

The Oyo school abduction has continued to generate reactions from political leaders and security stakeholders, with renewed calls for stronger collaboration among federal, state and local authorities to address the growing threat posed by criminal groups.