Oyo Kidnapping: Makinde, Wike warn against politicising insecurity

As NUT, NLC, TUC, CSOs stage protest in Ibadan, other cities

Rescue abducted pupils, teachers alive, Reps tell FG, security agencies

Oyo gov meets protesters, calls for joint efforts to surmount insecurity

STEPHEN GBADAMOSI, IBADAN

As the strike declared by leadership of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Traders Union Congress (TUC) in Oyo State and some civil society organisations (CSOs) against insecurity and immediate release of the abducted children and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of the state kicked off on Tuesday, calls have been made to governments to take the issue more seriously.

This is just as Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State warned aginst politicising the development.

In the same vein, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesome Wike, gave the same warning about politicising the problem of insecurity in the country.

On Tuesday, the protest, which started from the NLC state secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, took the protesters to the Agodi Secretariat, with teachers carrying placards with various inscriptions such as “Bring Back Our Teachers And Students Now,” “Save Education And End Insecurity Now,” “Stop The “Attack On Schools,” and “Let Teachers Teach In Peace,” among others.

The rallies were also held in Edo, Delta Ogun, Kano, Plateau, Lagos, Edo, Rivers, and Yobe states, among others.

Addressing the protesters, led by leaders of the NUT, NLC and National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) at the Governor’s Office, Governor Seyi Makinde called for a united approach at all levels of government and public support to curb insecurity in Nigeria.

Makinde, who appealed for trust on the issue, assured residents that security agencies had been actively working since the abduction took place.

Emphasising unity during national distress, Governor Makinde urged stakeholders and Nigerians to avoid politicising the incident, but focus on the safe return of the victims.

Earlier, NLC chairman in the state, Kayode Martins; and NUT chairman, Comrade Fatai Hassan, had lamented the abduction of the teachers and school children, maintaining that teachers would continue their strike until the abductees were rescued.

President of NANS, Babatunde Akinteye, stressed that synergy among tiers of government was critical to fight “those threatening Nigeria’s peace and safety.”

Later, Governor Makinde met with the union leaders and called on governments at all levels to work together to confront “the present insecurity challenges and rescue the pupils and teachers abducted recently in Yawota and Ahoro Esinele communities of Oriire Local Government Area.”

In a statement released by his Special Advised on Media, Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Governor Makinde made the call while receiving leaders and members of the NLC, NUT NANS, “who came on a peaceful/solidarity rally to demand the quick and safe release of the abductees.”

He noted that the incident was a national distress, warning against attempts to politicise it or trade blames.

According to him, the challenge went beyond politics, “because the perpetrators have demonstrated a complete disregard for humanity,” adding that it was time for everyone to work together to surmount the challenge.

Speaking with the union leaders, Makinde appealed to students, workers and teachers across the state to continue to trust the government, assuring them that every available resource was being deployed to secure the release of the abducted children and their teachers.

“I have had the opportunity to engage with the leadership of NANS, NUT and NLC. Let me say this clearly, this is a time of national distress. It is not the time to trade blames and to play politics. I am personally distressed.

“My own father was a primary school teacher. He actually taught at Ahoro Dada, which is less than 15 kilometres to where this incident happened. My father was there between 1959 and 1960 and if something like this had happened to him, maybe I wouldn’t have even been born.

“So, it is not the time for us to say, ‘it is the president that should have handled this; it is the governor or the local government.’ This is the time to pull together as one.

“We are not dealing with normal human beings. Just think briefly, how will somebody take a fellow human being and slaughter him? Is that somebody that is normal? So, these are not normal people. I can only appeal to you, the students, the workers, the teachers, to please have trust in your government. We are doing our best,” he said.

Speaking further, the governor emphasised that both the federal and state governments were collaborating to ensure the successful rescue of the abducted people.

He further assured the labour leaders, teachers and students that once the abductees had been successfully rescued, his administration would consider suggestions aimed at strengthening the state’s security architecture in the long term.

“I have heard from the Federal Government, and I have been meeting with the security operatives sent here over the past two weeks. We shouldn’t provide oxygen to the people that want to see us divided. The response at this time should be to pull together and allow the government to see this through.

“I can give you the assurance that our children and their teachers, by the grace of God, will return safely.

“In an atmosphere of insecurity, virtually nothing can be achieved. Nothing. Schools, hospitals, economic activities will all be grounded. We know this and because we’re not dealing with normal human beings, it is going to be a tortuous journey.

“All I will say is that from the Presidency to the state, we will continue to put in our efforts.

“But in the meantime, please, and please, and please, it is time to unite, to confront the challenges that we have, and to bring back those children and our teachers,” the governor added.

Earlier in their separate solidarity remarks, the national president of NANS, Comrade Babatunde; state chairman, NLC, Comrade Martins and chairman, NUT, Oyo State, Comrade Fatai, commended the efforts of Governor Makinde and equally charged him to intensify efforts and ensure the quick release of the abductees.

They condemned the barbaric act of kidnapping and killing of innocent people, describing the perpetrators as enemies of the nation.

While pledging their support to Governor Makinde and the government, they called on the government to strengthen the security architecture of the state, especially in schools, to make the environment safe and more conducive for learning.

“The briefing had in attendance the deputy governor of the state, Barr. ‘Bayo Lawal; the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Musibau Babatunde; Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon Kazeem Adeniyi, Senior Executive Assistant to the Governor on General Duties, Chief Mikhail ‘Bayo Lawal; Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Segun Olayiwola; and Commissioner for Information, Prince ‘Dotun Oyelade, among others.

Wike also assured the protesting teachers of rescue efforts and warned against politicising insecurity.

He assured the teachers and civil society organisations in Abuja that security agencies were intensifying efforts to secure the release of abducted teachers and students, while cautioning against the politicisation of security challenges.

Addressing demonstrators who staged a protest in front of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Secretariat demanding the immediate rescue of victims of recent school kidnappings, Wike said the Federal Government remained committed to ensuring the safe return of those in captivity.

This was contained in a statement by his media aide, Lere Olayinka, on Tuesday.

According to Wike, security agencies were actively working to rescue the victims and restore confidence in the country’s security architecture.

“We are all concerned about this security situation. The government is on its toes to ensure that those who are kidnapped are rescued,” he said.

The minister expressed confidence in the capacity of the nation’s security institutions to secure the release of the abducted teachers and students, stressing the need for prompt action.

“I have that confidence that the security system will do all they can to make sure the teachers and the students that are being kidnapped are rescued, and let it be prompt,” he added.

Wike, however, warned against turning security concerns into political issues, arguing that insecurity affected all parts of the country and should be approached as a collective national challenge.

He noted that incidents of teacher abductions had occurred in other states without attracting similar protests in the nation’s capital, urging citizens to adopt a more unified response to security threats.

“We are all concerned, but let us not politicise issues. That is what I will not support. We are all concerned about the security situation and how the teachers and students should be released,” he said.

The minister further disclosed that security agencies were operating within established protocols and had made significant progress in efforts to secure the victims’ freedom.

According to him, no responsible government would deliberately allow its citizens to remain vulnerable to criminal elements, adding that authorities were working under challenging circumstances to protect lives and property.

“There is no government that will deliberately say let citizens be kidnapped, but we know where we found ourselves and we know that everything possible is being done,” he stated.

Calling for national solidarity, Wike said insecurity should not be viewed through regional or political lenses, stressing that an attack on one community ultimately affects the entire country.

“What concerns you concerns everybody, and what concerns Abuja also concerns everybody. We are all looking at how people should rise up with the same dedication,” he said.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives on Tuesday called on the federal Government and security agencies to bring the abducted students and teachers of the Baptist Nursery and Primary School (Yawota), Community Grammar School (Esiele), and L.A. Primary School in Oyo State, back home alive.

The call was made during a session on the floor of the House, following a motion by Hon. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala.

“Bring our remaining sons, daughters, and teachers home alive without further delay, for every hour lost is an hour in which we risk losing them forever, and that risk now outweighs every other consideration before us”, he noted.

According to them, establishing a security presence is “so that this strategic frontier around the border corridors ceases to be a safe-haven for killers and a passage of terror into the South-West.”

They also called for the creation of state and local policing units.

“The House also resolved that the National Assembly and the Executive Arm must, without further excuse or delay, commence full implementation of the adopted resolution on a decentralised and regional security architecture.

“The creation of state police, local government policing units, decentralised courts, and an integrated national intelligence and surveillance network.

“People have waited long enough, and every further postponement is paid for in the blood of innocents, and brings the nation closer to being overrun”, they argued.