The Presidency has criticised Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde over his call for a United Nations-led investigation into the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area, describing the request as unnecessary, unwarranted and politically motivated.
The Federal Government maintained that Nigeria’s security agencies had already provided a comprehensive account of the rescue operation, insisting there was no justification for an international investigation.
Governor Makinde made the appeal on Monday while receiving 45 rescued victims—39 pupils and six teachers—at the Oyo State Secretariat in Ibadan after they were formally handed over to the state government by the Federal Government.
The victims were rescued after spending 56 days in captivity following their abduction by armed bandits who attacked three schools in the Yawota and Ahoro Esienle communities on May 15, 2026.
Responding to the governor’s comments, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Makinde’s position reflected a lack of confidence in Nigeria’s security institutions.
“The Governor has expressed his opinion that the UN should probe this incident. Our doors are open. Let the UN come if he believes there is more to it than what our military has already explained,” Onanuga said.
While noting that the Federal Government had no objection to any international review if considered necessary, Onanuga questioned why the governor appeared to distrust the findings of the country’s security agencies.
He stressed that military personnel and operatives of the Western Nigeria Security Network (Amotekun) lost their lives during efforts to rescue the victims, arguing that it was unreasonable to suggest security forces deliberately prolonged the children’s captivity.
“Look at those children. Some are just four or six years old. No one would deliberately subject them to the trauma they endured for 56 days,” he said.
Onanuga also dismissed allegations of any conspiracy surrounding the incident, saying both the military and the Department of State Services (DSS) had already explained the circumstances of the rescue operation.
He further accused Makinde of allowing politics to influence his position, noting that the governor’s recent presidential ambition may have shaped his comments.
“It is unfortunate that Mr Makinde, perhaps because of politics and his presidential ambition, appears to have lost confidence in our institutions and is calling for an external investigation,” he said.
Describing the governor’s demand as unnecessary, Onanuga added that Makinde was attempting to politicise the incident by promoting what he described as an unfounded conspiracy theory.
Earlier, Governor Makinde had called on the United Nations and other international human rights and accountability organisations to independently investigate the circumstances surrounding the mass abduction and eventual rescue of the pupils and teachers.
Speaking during the reception of the rescued victims, the governor argued that the gravity and unusual nature of the incident warranted an independent review beyond Nigeria’s domestic institutions.
“The circumstances surrounding this incident are sufficiently grave and unusual to warrant independent scrutiny beyond our domestic institutions,” Makinde said.
He maintained that the call for an international investigation was intended to strengthen public confidence and ensure accountability, rather than undermine Nigeria’s institutions.
“Such scrutiny is not intended to weaken our institutions. Rather, it is to reinforce public confidence that the truth will be established and that anyone found responsible, regardless of status or affiliation, will be held accountable,” he stated.
Makinde also reminded the Federal Government that responsibility for national security rests with it under the Constitution, stressing that Nigerians deserve a transparent account of what transpired.
“The Nigerian people deserve to know what happened, who was responsible, whether there were institutional failures, negligence or collusion, and what measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence,” he said.
Rejecting claims that his position was politically motivated, the governor insisted his appeal was driven by the need for justice and public confidence.
“This is not about politics. It is about justice for the victims, reassurance for our people, and restoring confidence that every Nigerian child can attend school without fear,” Makinde said.
