The Urgent Need for Real Action, Not Blame-Shifting, in Oyo State
The Urgent Need for Real Action, Not Blame-Shifting, in Oyo State
The recent escalation of sophisticated criminality in Oyo State has moved beyond a routine security challenge; it has become an existential crisis for the Pacesetter State. The audacious, coordinated attacks on three schools in the Oriire Local Government Area resulting in the deaths of innocent citizens and the mass abduction of school children and their headteacher have pierced the heart of the state’s peace. Coupled with the recent high-profile kidnapping of Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) staff in Oluyole, it is clear that rural and suburban Oyo is increasingly falling under the shadow of bandits and kidnappers.
Predictably, this security failure has triggered a fierce political dogfight. The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has weaponized the tragedy, accusing Governor Seyi Makinde of “populism,” “lip service,” and spending billions on surveillance aircraft and vehicles that have yielded minimal operational results. In response, Governor Makinde, while expressing genuine personal distress, has deflected structural blame back to Abuja, calling on the Federal Government to fast-track constitutional approvals for state policing.
While both sides trade barbs, the citizens of Oyo State are left to ask a fundamental question: When did the protection of human lives become a secondary casualty to political showmanship?
The APC’s critique, though deeply political, touches upon structural concerns that the state government cannot simply brush aside.
The Sidelining of Grassroots Security: The opposition’s claim that local stakeholders and traditional rulers have been decentralized from joint-security architectures since 2019 carries weight. In vast, porous rural boundaries like Oriire and Ibarapa, state-centralized security apparatuses are blind without native intelligence.
The Question of Expenditure: If billions have indeed been allocated toward surveillance aircraft and technology, as the government has previously touted, why did multiple motorcycle-riding bandits operate unhindered at 9:00 AM across two communities? Accountability for security spending must be transparent.
On the other hand, Governor Makinde’s frustration with the centralized federal policing system is entirely legitimate. It is an undeniable constitutional anomaly that a state governor is designated the “Chief Security Officer” but lacks the direct command architecture to deploy police commissioners without federal bureaucracy. The bottleneck at the center slows down rapid response and cripples localized defense strategies.
In the wake of the Oriire tragedy, Governor Makinde signed Executive Order 001 of 2026, mandating the strict registration and regulation of all informal security groups, vigilantes, and community-based outfits.
On paper, this is a responsible administrative step. Unregulated, armed civilian groups risk turning into rogue militias, triggering ethnic profiling, and exacerbating regional tensions. The Governor is entirely correct to warn against reprisal attacks and ethnic discrimination.
However, policy on paper does not stop a bullet in the bush. If the regular state security agencies remain overwhelmed, over-regulating the only local vigilantes standing between vulnerable communities and heavily armed bandits could create an security vacuum. Regulatory oversight must be matched with aggressive, state-backed logistics and mobilization support for these approved local hunters and regional groups like Amotekun.
Oyo State cannot afford to be grounded by political warfare ahead of the upcoming political cycle. Insecurity does not respect party lines; bullet shells do not ask for party registration cards.
Stop the Blame Game: Governor Makinde must stop treating the federal government’s delay on State Police as an excuse for local operational lapses. Until state police becomes a constitutional reality, he must maximize the tools currently at his disposal.
Deploy the Technology: The newly commissioned Violent Crimes Response Unit must move past symbolic launches. The state must actively deploy its surveillance infrastructure to track kidnappers currently operating in rural terrains and national park borders.
Re-engage Traditional Rulers: Security must be decentralized back to the community level. Traditional rulers must be empowered with communication tools and direct lines of reporting to state security heads.
The safe return of the abducted school children and workers must be treated as a supreme, non-negotiable priority. Governor Makinde has the mandate of the people until May 2027. He must disembark from defensive politicking, look inward, and reform Oyo’s fracturing security architecture before the state slips into unmanageable lawlessness.
