Rather than put heads together to see how the children and teachers abducted by terrorists in Oyo State can be rescued, the agents of the federal government have resorted to playing politics with the issue.
On one hand, while some are accusing the Oyo State Government of deliberately staging or allowing the abduction to occur as a calculated move to embarrass the administration of President Bola Tinubu, others are questioning what the state governor has been doing with the security votes at his disposal to secure the state.
There are also some who are accusing the state government of neglecting local governments in the state and diverting their allocations.
They noted that as the chief security officer of the state, it is Governor Seyi Makinde’s sole responsibility to protect lives in the state, thereby absolving President Tinubu, who is the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of any blame.
First, school children were kidnapped in Kaduna, Kebbi, Niger, and Borno states, nobody blamed the governors because they do not control the police, armed forces and DSS.
Currently, tens of children kidnapped in Borno and Ekiti states are still in kidnappers’ dens. Being APC-controlled states, nobody has told Governors Babagana Zulum and Abiodun Oyebanji that they have been collecting security votes, why can’t they protect their people?
When Chibok girls were abducted by Boko Haram in Borno State under President Jonathan, Tinubu as opposition leader then, did not blame then Governor Kashim Shettima. It was Jonathan he blamed.
In fact, in one of his speeches, he was quoted as saying: “No governor of the state in Nigeria is the chief security officer. Putting the blame on the governors who have been effectively emasculated of the abysmal performance of the government at the centre which controls all these security agencies, smacks of ignorance and mischief.”
It remains inherently illogical to blame state governors at this point. Insecurity is a systemic, multi-faceted national crisis that cuts across party lines and geographical boundaries.
Throwing unsubstantiated allegations into the public sphere during a time of immense grief especially when children’s lives are at stake does nothing to rescue victims. This should not be the time for that.
Such rhetoric only inflames political tensions, divides communities, and distracts security agencies from tackling the root causes of terrorism and kidnapping across Nigeria. Securing the release of every abducted person should be a priority.
