Oyo State Governor Forms Panel to Investigate School Kidnapping

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry. This panel will look into the kidnapping of pupils and teachers from Esinele and Yawota communities. The abduction took place in May this year in Oriire Local Government Area.

The Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, made this announcement on Thursday in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State.

Governor Makinde has shown doubts about how the abduction happened. He even suggested that there might be political motives behind the incident.

Just hours after the victims were freed on July 10, Mr. Makinde noted that the abduction happened shortly after he announced his plan to run for president in 2027.

Mr. Makinde is contesting the presidential election with the Allied Peoples Movement. He will finish his second and last term as governor in May 2027.

“For seven years, we didn’t witness anything like this in Oyo State,” he told a crowd that included Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and leaders of the APM in Bauchi.

“I declared to run for the presidency of Nigeria at four o’clock, and by 9 a.m. the following morning, the children were abducted.”

Mr. Oyelade stated that the commission's job is to find out what led to the abduction and what caused the security failure.

He mentioned that the panel will be inaugurated on Friday. It will also suggest ways to stop similar incidents in the future.

“The commission will look into the events leading to the kidnapping, check how authorities responded, and recommend ways to improve security in schools and communities across the state,” Mr. Oyelade said.

He added that forming this panel is part of the governor’s promise to ensure a complete and independent investigation into the incident.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the abduction happened on May 15. The pupils and teachers were rescued after spending 56 days in captivity.

Mr. Makinde has shown a lot of doubt about how the abduction occurred.

Days after the victims were rescued, he urged the United Nations and other international human rights groups to look into the circumstances of the kidnapping in Oriire Local Government Area.

Mr. Makinde said even though the victims are free now, the situation surrounding the incident is “sufficiently grave and unusual.” He believes it needs an independent review.

He stated that the incident brings up questions that need careful examination beyond Nigeria’s own systems.

He made this appeal during a statewide broadcast shortly after the Nigerian military handed over the rescued pupils and teachers to the state government.

The Oyo State House of Assembly supported Governor Seyi Makinde’s call for an independent international investigation into the abduction.

But the Nigerian Senate turned down the governor’s request for foreign help, saying that the matter is a domestic security issue that should be resolved within Nigeria.