The presidency slammed Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Monday for calling for a United Nations-led probe into the state’s kidnapping of students and teachers, branding the proposal as needless and politically motivated.
Makinde, who formally took responsibility for the welfare, rehabilitation, and education of the 45 teachers and students rescued after 56 days in captivity on Monday, called for a UN-backed investigation into the abduction, saying Nigerians deserved a full account of the events surrounding the incident.
On May 15, 2026, armed bandits invaded three schools in the Yawota and Ahoro Esienle towns of Oriire Local Government Area, Oyo State, abducting 39 students and six instructors.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said the governor’s request indicated a lack of trust in Nigeria’s security institutions, pointing out that the military and other security services had previously offered reasons for the rescue effort.
Onanuga said the presidency had no objection to an international body examining the incident if Makinde believed there were unresolved issues.
“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,” he said.
He, however, questioned the governor’s demand, claiming that security forces had no motive to intentionally commit Nigerians, particularly children, to extended imprisonment.
According to him, the rescue effort came at a cost, with some security personnel, including military soldiers and Amotekun, killed while chasing the abductors.
Onanuga said it was “unthinkable” that anybody would knowingly plan to subject the victims to the 56-day ordeal, which included the murder of a mathematics instructor while imprisoned.
“Look at those kids. Some of them are just about four or six years old. Will anyone want to deliberately subject them to the trauma they went through for 56 days?” he asked.
Onanuga accused Makinde, who is a presidential aspirant, of allowing political considerations to influence his call for an international probe.
“It is just unfortunate that Mr. Makinde, maybe because of politics, because he is a presidential candidate now, doesn’t trust our institutions and is now calling on an external body to come and investigate,” he said.
Onanuga also stated that the military and the Department of State Services had previously revealed everything they knew about the event, calling the governor’s request “unwarranted” and “absolutely unnecessary.”
He accused Makinde of trying to politicize the situation, stating, “The man is just playing politics, and it is the politics of the bizarre.” He intends to weaponize whatever is accessible, including a bizarre conspiracy notion.
In a video shared by Oyo Affairs on Monday after the rescued pupils and teachers arrived at the Oyo State Secretariat following their handover by the federal government, Makinde urged the UN and other international human rights and accountability bodies to investigate the abduction of the students and teachers.
“The circumstances surrounding this incident are sufficiently grave and unusual to warrant independent scrutiny beyond our domestic institution.
“I therefore, with a full sense of responsibility as the executive governor of Oyo State, call on the appropriate international human rights and accountability mechanisms, including those within the United Nations system, to closely examine the facts surrounding this abduction and the circumstances of its resolution,” Makinde said.
The governor explained that the call for international scrutiny was aimed at ensuring accountability rather than discrediting Nigerian institutions.
“Such scrutiny is not intended to undermine our institution. Rather, it is intended to reinforce public confidence that the truth will be established and that every person found to bear responsibility, regardless of office, influence, or affiliation, will be held accountable,” the governor said.
The governor also reminded the federal government of its constitutional responsibility for national security.
“Under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the primary responsibility for national security rests with the federal government and the security agencies under its command,” he said.
He believes that Nigerians deserve a complete account of the events surrounding the kidnapping and its conclusion.
“The Nigerian people, therefore, deserve a full and transparent account of what happened, who was responsible, whether there were institutional failures, negligence or collusion at any level, and what measures must now be taken to ensure that no community is ever subjected to such an ordeal again.
Makinde insisted that his demand was not politically driven, saying, “This inquiry is not about politics. “It is about justice for the victims, reassurance for our people, and rebuilding public trust that every Nigerian child can attend school without fear,” Makinde stated.
The rescued students and instructors arrived at the Oyo State Secretariat in Ibadan on Monday, having been formally turned over to the Oyo State government by the federal government.
