…Oyo APC Slams Makinde For Saying FG in Charge of National Security Calls for His ‘Resignation’
By Yinka Giwa
President Bola Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards and the deployment of a special rescue team to strengthen security operations in Oyo State following the abduction of teachers and pupils from three schools in the state earlier this month.
The approval was disclosed on Sunday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, after a Federal Government delegation visited Esiele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area, where gunmen abducted students and teachers from Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School on May 15, 2026.
According to Onanuga, the Federal Government is taking immediate steps to prevent a recurrence of such incidents and reassure residents of its commitment to safeguarding lives and property.
“As part of immediate measures to strengthen security in the area, President Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards in Oyo State in collaboration with the state government,” the presidential spokesman stated.
He added that the delegation also conveyed to community leaders and local lawmakers that their request for the establishment of a military base in the area would be forwarded to the President for consideration and possible approval.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has launched a blistering attack on Governor Seyi Makinde over comments he reportedly made concerning the worsening security situation in the state.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the opposition party faulted Makinde’s claim that his administration was limited in addressing insecurity because the nation’s security agencies operate under the control of the Federal Government.
The APC described the governor’s position as a demonstration of “cluelessness, insincerity, and criminal ineptitude,” insisting that state governors have constitutional and moral responsibilities to coordinate security efforts within their jurisdictions and cannot absolve themselves of accountability when citizens come under attack.
The party accused Makinde of attempting to shift responsibility for the growing insecurity in Oyo State and argued that his comments reflected a failure of leadership at a critical time when residents expected decisive action from government.
Going further, the APC called on the governor to resign from office if he believed he lacked the authority or capacity to confront the state’s security challenges, suggesting that his deputy should be allowed to complete the administration’s tenure.
“Parochial leaders like Makinde pose a grave danger to the growth and development of Nigerian society, and it is important for the electorate to avoid them in future elections,” the party stated.
The APC’s reaction followed remarks attributed to Makinde during his acceptance speech as the presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Ibadan on Saturday, where he reportedly lamented that there was little he could do to secure the release of kidnapped schoolchildren and other victims because governors do not exercise direct control over security agencies.