Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has claimed that the recent abduction of pupils and teachers in parts of Oyo State may have been used as a political tool to discredit President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Fayose made the allegation during a television interview, where he questioned the handling of the incident by the Oyo State Government and suggested that political interests could have influenced the response.
The comments come after gunmen kidnapped pupils and teachers from schools in Oyo State, an incident that attracted nationwide concern and prompted intervention from the Federal Government.
Following the attack, President Tinubu dispatched a high-level delegation to the affected communities and assured residents that security agencies were working to secure the release of the victims.
Reacting to the development, Fayose argued that state governments bear significant responsibility for addressing security challenges within their territories and should not be quick to shift attention to the Federal Government.
“Before you get to the president in the hierarchy of governance, there is the local government and the state government. States receive security votes and have structures that should be working,” he said.
The former governor also criticised Governor Seyi Makinde’s handling of the crisis, alleging that the governor focused on political activities while the victims remained in captivity.
“In Oyo State, I strongly believe, though I may be wrong, that this may have been orchestrated. The governor was busy with his nomination and those of his candidates while this abduction was taking place,” Fayose stated.
“He did not immediately take action. It was only after those nominations that he visited the affected families.”
Fayose further suggested that the incident may have been used to portray the Federal Government in a negative light.
“I sometimes believe that the Oyo school abduction was orchestrated by the Oyo State Government to blackmail President Tinubu,” he alleged.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Governor Makinde nor the Oyo State Government had publicly responded to the allegations.
The kidnapping incident has continued to generate reactions from political figures, security experts and stakeholders, with renewed calls for stronger measures to tackle insecurity and improve the safety of schools across the country.
