Makinde Gets Oriire Abduction Inquiry Report, Pledges Action
Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, has taken delivery of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry's report on the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area in May, and has undertaken to act on what it recommends.
According to the governor, the document was presented to him on Tuesday by Majeed Owoade, a retired judge who chaired the commission, at the Executive Council Chamber of the Governor's Office in Ibadan, the state capital.
Makinde, in a post on X, stated that before going public with its stance, his administration would go through the commission's recommendations thoroughly and then announce the steps it intends to take.
"Earlier today, we received the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Oriire Abduction," the governor wrote. "Let me once again, thank the Chairman, Hon Justice M. A. O. Owoade, JCA (Retd) and all members of the committee for their service."
"As I said in my remarks, our administration will examine the recommendations of the commission carefully, respond to them publicly and set out the actions we will take to prevent a recurrence."
The commission was inaugurated by Makinde in July as an eight-member body, three weeks after those held captive regained their freedom, having spent 56 days in detention.
Its terms of reference covered the circumstances of how 46 pupils and teachers were seized from schools in Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities on 15 May, the institutional or operational lapses that allowed it, and measures to stop it from happening again.
Speaking while handing over the report on Tuesday, Owoade said the commission took evidence from 72 witnesses. Those who appeared before it included the victims themselves, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, experts and other stakeholders.
He explained that the accounts they gave shed light on the events surrounding the abduction and on the security difficulties confronting the communities affected.
"We were able eventually to produce a report which is actually to be able to strengthen preventive security measures for the future, the ways of intelligence gathering, and of course the need for necessary cooperation, not only between governments, but also between security agencies and inter-agencies of governments," Owoade said.
Among the panel's proposals is that the relevant laws be revisited and that forest reserves be managed better, especially as it concerns security.
Owoade made particular reference to the Old Oyo National Park, which the federal government controls, arguing that its management and legal framework should be looked at again so that security is improved while its plants and animals are safeguarded.
"Of particular significance is our opinion that there is a need to review the laws and management of our forest reserves, especially the Old Oyo National Park, which belongs to the federal government, with the hope that security will be maintained while maintaining fauna and flora," he said.
While receiving the report, Makinde, who is seeking the presidency against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election, said the fact that the victims were freed did not undo the loss of life, the trauma and the fear that the attack generated.
He added that the inquiry was set up because the government owed the victims and the residents more than mere sympathy.
The abductions of 15 May involved 46 people in total, made up of 39 pupils and seven teachers, all taken from the schools. They were released after 56 days in captivity. Two teachers and an Okada rider lost their lives during the incident and the operation to free them.
At the handover event, the governor also appealed to the federal government to do more to secure the release of over 40 children reported to have been kidnapped in Borno State on the same day as the Oriire LGA attack.
He noted that while those taken in Oriire have been reunited with their families, the Borno children are still being held, 137 days after they were seized from Mussa community in Askira-Uba Local Government Area.
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