Makinde Mounts Tension with Tinubu, Constitutes Probe On Oriire Kidnap

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state has constituted a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate the abduction of pupils and teachers from Esiele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area, a move that could reopen questions over the Federal Government's handling of one of Nigeria's most shocking school kidnappings this year.

The decision, announced on Thursday by the Oyo State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, comes months after Makinde had publicly called for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the May 15 attack—a request that critics say did not immediately receive the desired federal response.

According to Oyelade, the commission, scheduled for inauguration on Friday, will determine how the attack occurred, identify the security lapses that enabled it, assess the response of relevant authorities and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in schools and communities across Oyo State.

He said the panel reflects the governor's commitment to an independent and comprehensive investigation into the incident that saw dozens of pupils and teachers held captive for 56 days before they were rescued. 

The commission's inauguration comes on the same day President Bola Tinubu again defended the Federal Government's refusal to negotiate with or pay ransom to the kidnappers, insisting that no concession was made to the terrorists and that yielding to their demands would only encourage further criminality.

While both the Federal and Oyo State governments had consistently denied paying ransom during the crisis, Makinde's latest move is expected to renew scrutiny over the security failures that culminated in the mass abduction and whether lessons have been fully learned.

Political observers say the state-led inquiry could also generate fresh debate over the respective roles of the federal and state governments in responding to major security emergencies, especially as the panel is expected to examine the sequence of events leading to the kidnapping and the actions taken by security agencies before and during the 56-day ordeal. 

However, whether this ultimately leads to friction with the Federal Government remains to be seen.