Oyo Will Never Be Chibok” — Makinde Vows to Rescue Abducted Pupils, Teachers in Oriire

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has pledged that pupils and teachers kidnapped in Oriire LGA will be rescued safely, insisting “Oyo State is not Chibok and will never be Chibok.”

The governor spoke Tuesday at his Ikolaba residence in Ibadan while addressing protesters led by activist Martins Vincent Otse, aka VeryDarkMan. The protest followed a wave of kidnappings in the state, including the abduction of over 45 nursery and primary school pupils and their teachers more than a month ago. One teacher has reportedly been killed.

Makinde struck an emotional tone, saying he was willing to sacrifice himself to secure the children’s release. “If you ask me, can I sacrifice myself for those children to come out? I will do it. I have lived a good life, I’m almost 60 and it doesn’t matter. Our children will never be in the same situation as Chibok children,” he said.

He acknowledged the risks of the rescue operation, noting that a Nigerian Army lieutenant was killed days earlier and a teacher had already lost his life. “If we can avoid losing more, we will avoid losing more, but if we get to the point that certain people have to be sacrificed, including myself, we will do it,” he added.

The governor said he understood the protest and would have joined it if he were not in office. He also explained constitutional limits on state control of security agencies: “As governor, I can call the Commissioner of Police and we can meet, but I cannot deploy him. If I say go to a particular place, he will need approval from the Inspector-General of Police. The same thing applies to the military.”

Makinde said security has been a priority since he assumed office, citing the creation of Amotekun Corps, though he admitted it has not been armed adequately. He disclosed that the victims were still alive based on available information, but said details of the rescue operation could not be shared publicly because of the victims’ ages.

“This is the first time anywhere in Nigeria that people have kidnapped nursery and primary school children. These are children that cannot even run or do anything for themselves. So the operation to rescue them is a special type of operation if we do not want to lose any of those children,” he said.

He confirmed the government was in talks with the abductors despite the implications for state sovereignty. “If government starts negotiating with bandits, it means we are surrendering sovereignty to the bandits, but in this special situation, if we want those children alive, we have to bend backwards,” he stated. He assured that lessons would be learnt to prevent a recurrence once the children are freed

VeryDarkMan said the protest was to demand clarity on the rescue plan and timeline. He offered himself and other volunteers to join security operatives in the bush if needed. “As of now, we do not even know the condition of the children… Over 45 of them were taken into the bush with their teachers, and one of the teachers has been beheaded. We want to tell the governor, what is the plan and when are we going to see the children