By Olusesan Laoye
Since the release of the school children and teachers kidnapped at Orire in Ogbomoso, area of Oyo State, there has been different accounts about the incident, and jubilation across the country for their release after 56 days in captivity. But the most worrisome aspect of the issue is the political game trailing it.
The incident is now causing ripples between the Federal government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the oppositions, especially, the government of Oyo State
Governor Seyi Makinde’s call on the United Nations to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, and criticisms which followed his statement have made Nigerians believed that politicians are now using this to score cheap political points at the period when the activities are in top gear for the coming 2027 general elections, when all the political parties are looking for what to be used to convince the electorate for votes
What has, however, heightened the the game is the fact that the man whose state is affected by the incident, has now become suspicious about the whole thing, and his insinuations may be pointing to the power at the top, as it was believed in his circle, that it was an attempt to dent the image of his government and his political ambition for the presidency, since he too, is in the race to challenge the incumbent, President Tinubu.
Although it is not only Gov. Makinde alone that has taken a swipe at the Federal government of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) too, believed that the action of the government before the release of the abducted children and their teachers was not sufficient to justify its claim for the victory and the efforts of the armed forces and other agencies that worked relentlessly for their release.
Political positions
But the reaction of Makinde is taken more seriously than others, probably because it concerns him more than others who have reacted.
Makinde in his call for the intervention of the UN investigation, argued that the circumstances surrounding this incident are sufficiently grave and unusual to warrant independent scrutiny beyond Nigeria’s domestic institutions,
He pointed out that his request was not intended to discredit Nigeria’s institutions but rather to strengthen public confidence through transparency, saying that an independent review would help establish the truth and ensure accountability if failures occurred at any level. Adding that the issue transcends politics
“This is not about politics. It is about justice for the victims, reassurance for our people, and restoring public confidence that every Nigerian child can go to school without fear,”
Atiku too, who is vocal about the incident pointed out that the abduction was a glaring failure of leadership by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
What Atiku also frowned about was the sending of palliatives, such as rice to the worried families, when the parents needed urgent action and succour and not handouts.
Following the rescue of the victims, who spent 56 days in captivity, Atiku through his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, lauded Nigeria’s security operatives for the success recorded but he faulted President Tinubu for not on his own, address Nigerians, saying that such a milestone required direct communication from the Commander-in-Chief, rather than just official statements from aides.
He was of the veiws that the Orire incident does not call for jubilation from the government of President Tinubu but should be a way forward and action for the remaining captives in other parts of Nigeria.
The former vice President believed that the rescue should not serve as an excuse for the government to celebrate, as many other Nigerians, including innocent citizens in Borno Niger, Katsina,Jigawa Kwara, Kogi, are still remaining in captivity, while he demanded that the concern of President Tinubu as the Commander in Chief is to see that all abducted persons be brought home safely.
Atiku said, “no serious government should be consumed by the politics of re-election while innocent school children have remained in the custody of kidnappers for weeks.
The first campaign of any responsible administration must be the campaign to rescue its citizens, restore security and reassure anxious families. Politics can wait; the lives of innocent children cannot. The release of the victims should have been dedicated to the war room, not the campaign room,” he argued.
Federal Reactions
With the criticisms of the Federal government being intensified, the Presidency too has not kept quiet and has slammed its critics. As it did not believed that their critics are justified
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, accused the Gov. Makinde and Atiku for displaying lack of confidence in Nigeria’s institutions and attempting to politicise a sensitive national security issue.
He said with Atiku’s silence over the issue and later came out to condemned the government shows that he lacks knowledge of governance and was only interested in playing politics with the issue of insecurity all the time.
For Makinde, Onanuga explained that, the military, intelligence services and other security agencies have provided sufficient explanations on the rescue operation.
“The governor has just expressed his opinion that the UN should probe this incident. Our doors are open. Let the UN come if he thinks there is more to it than what our military has explained,” Onanuga pointed out
“For the Presidency, the sacrifices made by security personnel during the operation should not be overshadowed by what it regards as speculative allegations or conspiracy theories.”
Onanuga expressed sadness that soldiers and members of the Amotekun Corps lost their lives while pursuing the abductors.
He said that it was proper for some people to think that security agencies would deliberately allow children and teachers to remain in captivity for nearly two months.
“It is just unfortunate that Mr Makinde, maybe because of politics, because he is a presidential candidate now, doesn’t have any trust in our own institutions,” Onanuga said.
In his own view the United Nations Independent Expert and Vice Chair of the International Law Association, Prof. Damilola Olawuyi (SAN), condemned the statement on the point that Makinde’s was inconsistent with the mandate of the world body as contained in the UN Charter.
A legal luminary, who spoke with the Business Hallmark, Barrister Kolawole Idowu said that as far as he was concerned, Governor Makinde’s call shows he is not conversant with the international order and procedures.
Controversy over UN
Barrister Idowu strongly believed that the matter is a local one, which the government of Nigeria should be capable of handling, and which has been demonstrated, by the collective actions of government, individuals, the Military and as well as many private security outfits in the Orire saga.
The matter, he firther argued, doesn not concern the call for the UN probe, or any international investigation, argued that Makinde was just being political about his demand.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), also lend his voice in the argument and he was of the opinion that Governor Makinde was ill advised. And if not, he should not have made such a statement as a sitting governor, saying that the UN has no business or jurisdiction to investigate abductions, by bandits in member states.
However the Senate in general condemned Governor Makinde after adopting a motion moved by the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC Ekiti Central), saying that Makinde’s call for a UN probe, was capable of trivializing the sacrifices made by security personnel involved in the rescue operation. While it was on the side of the Presidency and the security operatives having the capacities and the courage to fight terrorism in Nigeria.
The Senate then asked the government to expidite actions on the payment of statutory death benefits, insurance claims, pensions and other welfare entitlements due to the families of security personnel, who died during the rescue mission, it asked the government to also sustain military operations against terrorists, kidnappers, bandits and other criminal groups through improved logistics, intelligence gathering, surveillance technology, modern equipment and enhanced welfare for members of the armed forces and other security agencies.
Rescue Operations
In a related vein the oyo APC publicity secretary, Olawale Sadare, said in a chat that Governor Makinde is “clueless” and described his call on UN when he should be sober, as “shameful”.
Accoding to him, his actions could be described as “height of ineptitude, cluelessness and grandstanding.”
Sadare also said that Governor Makinde is always fond of playing politics with serious issues of national interest, especially “this current issue which concerns the welfare and security of the people.”
Sadare posited that if not for “dirty politicking, naivety and cluelessness, any informed person should know about Article 2(7) of the United Nations Charter, which shields sovereign states from external interference.”
He said further, “ if it actually becomes a must for Makinde to make such a call, he should be courageous enough to submit himself to investigation over the series of allegations concerning, diversion of local government funds, the abduction and brutal killings of Igangan residents, the N7.7 billion surveillance aircraft deal, the fire-fighting truck scam, the possession of lethal weapons by Mukaila Auxiliary, the N50 billion Bodija explosion relief fund, the Agbowo Shopping Complex contract, the Ibadan Airport and stadium upgrade projects, loan scandals and other issues.” Sadare argued.
However, the Armed Forces gave detailed of how they carried out the operations, which gave them success on how the victims were saved from captivity of over 56 days.
In the account of the General Officer Commanding 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife, he said that the rescue mission involved an extensive collaboration among the military, police, Department of State Services, Amotekun Corps, local vigilantes and other security agencies.
He pointed out that the operation reportedly extended across multiple states as security forces tracked the abductors’ networks and supply chains.
Nnebeife said aerial surveillance initially failed to locate the victims because of the dense forests where they were held, necessitating prolonged ground operations.
The military eventually identified and disrupted the kidnappers’ logistics network, particularly around Ashamu and the Old Oyo National Park area.
The pressure, according to security officials, forced the abductors to release the victims unconditionally, while it was believed that the rescue came at a cost, with two soldiers killed alongside with some .members of the other security networks in the operation.
Meanwhile the concensus of security experts, public commentators and reactions both on face book and other networks is that, if the Federal government and the Military could adopt the tactics used in rescuing the kidnapped Orire victims, the tactics should be used to secure the release of other Nigerians still in captivity.
Some further commented that what gave the Orire a success story was the fact that the South generally, is with one voice against terrorists and bandits fighting for a purpose to control the entire Nigeria, which the South is now ready to resist, and .not also.willing to compromise their collective stand on insecurity, in their respective States.
It was further argued that if the leaders in the North and the generality of the people are not compromised, banditry would not have gone to the height it has reached in the area, and be a monster, which could now no longer be curtailed.