Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has declared that the abduction of pupils and teachers in the state was unfairly politicised, unlike the reaction to the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ kidnapping.
Governor Makinde, who stated while defending his administration’s security record, noted that he had enjoyed relative peace throughout his years in office until he declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidency.
Makinde, who spoke when he visited Governor Bala Mohammed in Bauchi and leaders of the APM pointedly said that for seven years as Oyo State governor, his administration did not witness such an incident in the state.
In the words of Makinde; “I declared to run for the presidency at 4 p.m., and by 9 a.m. the following morning, children were abducted in Oyo State.
“While the Chibok kidnapping under former President Goodluck Jonathan was widely blamed on the Federal Government, the narrative suddenly changed when the abduction occurred in Oyo.
“It was unbelievable. When the Chibok kidnapping happened, it was President Jonathan they blamed. They went all over the world asking Jonathan to bring back the children. But when the abduction happened in Oyo State, they said it was the irresponsibility of the state governor and the state government,” Makinde stated.
The Governor’s comment followed the rescue of the kidnapped pupils and teachers of Community High School, Esinle, in the Olori Local Government Area of Oyo State after 56 days in captivity.
The Federal Government said no ransom was paid, but that some of the terrorists were neutralised while eight were arrested and presently in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), and that none of the demands by the terrorists was met.
