By Rauf Oyewole
The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde has said that those who blamed the then President Goodluck Jonathan over the abduction of Chibok school children in Borno State in 2014 are blaming him for the abduction of Orire pupils and teachers, saying that they know that a state governor has no control of the security apparatus.
Speaking on security of the state, Makinde said that for over the last seven years and two months, the state has never recorded any abduction until May 15, 2026.
Makinde who is also the presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) spoke in Bauchi on Friday when he visited Governor Bala Mohammed, said that he would have handled the security more differently. “This is my very first job in the public space. And I have been on this job for several years and may be two months. The insecurity happened two months ago, May 15. So for several years, we didn’t witness anything like this in Oyo state.
“I declared to run for the presidency of Nigeria at 4 o’clock. And by 9 a.m. the following morning, the children were abducted. We are still feeling through all of this. Yes, we may have to do more. And we’re trying to do more. We’re cooperating with the federal government.
“Myself and my brother (Governor Bala Mohammed) were the chief security officers in qoute our state but I cannot give an instruction to the commissioner of police in the state. He will need to get approval from the Inspector General of Police. He cannot give an instruction to the state director of security. He will need to get clearance from the DG of DSS. The same with the military. The same with all of the people that are supposed to handle insecurity for us.
The Governor said that those who see declaration of curfew as a solution should consider economic activities attached to curfew.
Makinde said: “It is so unbelievable. When Chibok happened, it was the fault of President Jonathan. They went all over the world, asked Jonathan to bring back the children. But (when) this happened, no, it is the irresponsibility of the state governor and the state government.”
“So we need to look at our architecture and be sure that where you give responsibility, you also give authority to deal with those responsibilities. And that is exactly what we will do if the people of Nigeria will trust APM with the presidency of Nigeria. We will ensure that responsibilities and authorities go together,” he said.
Speaking on the permutations to select a running mate, Makinde said that he would continue to consult and it is one of the reasons he visited Bala Mohammed.
While speaking, Governor Mohammed commended him for taking his time to visit the State, saying that he has confidence in the candidature of Makinde, having “transformed” the state and rebuilt the Federal Government’s Airport abandoned for years. He expressed readiness to support his ambition while calling on Nigerians to believe in Allied People’s Movement (APM).
