Former Ayodele Fayose has alleged that the recent abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in parts of Oyo State may have been orchestrated by the state government as part of an effort to embarrass President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Fayose made the claim during a television interview, where he questioned the response of the Oyo State Government to the incident and suggested that political motives could have influenced how it was handled.
His remarks came after gunmen kidnapped pupils and teachers in some local government areas of Oyo State on Friday, an incident that sparked nationwide concern and drew the attention of the Federal Government.
Following the attack, President Tinubu sent a high-powered delegation to the affected communities and assured residents that efforts were being intensified to secure the victims’ release.
Commenting on the situation, Fayose maintained that state governments have the primary responsibility for addressing local security challenges and should not be quick to shift blame to the Federal Government.
“Let me branch to Oyo State, before you get to the president in the hierarchy of leadership and governance, there is local government, there is state, state has security votes and there are people that are supposed to be working,” he said.
Fayose also accused Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of failing to react swiftly to the incident, claiming that political engagements took precedence over the crisis.
“In Oyo State, I strongly believe though I might be wrong but this sometimes might be orchestrated. The governor of Oyo State had his nomination and that of his candidates in the face of this abduction,” he said.
“He did not take any action, no steps were taken, it was after those nominations that he went to the families to visit them.”
The former governor went further, alleging that the kidnapping may have been staged to portray the Federal Government in a bad light.
“I sometimes believe that the abduction at Oyo School was orchestrated by the Oyo State Government to blackmail President Tinubu,” Fayose stated.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Governor Makinde nor the Oyo State Government had publicly responded to the allegation.
The abduction has continued to generate debate among political stakeholders and security experts, with renewed calls for stronger action to combat insecurity and improve the protection of schools across the country.
