Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Tuesday made an emotional appeal for national unity over the abduction of 39 pupils and 7 teachers in Oriire LGA, declaring the crisis “a time of national distress, not politics” and vowing that every security resource was being deployed for their safe return.
Speaking during a peaceful protest at the Governor’s Office led by NUT, NLC, TUC and NANS, Makinde tied the tragedy to his personal history. His late father, he revealed, was a primary school teacher at Awole Dada, less than 15km from the attack site in 1959-1960.
“I am personally distressed. My own father was a primary school teacher. If something like this had happened to him, maybe I wouldn’t even have been born,” Makinde said, his voice breaking.
The governor urged Nigerians to shelve political finger-pointing and unite against what he called inhuman abductors.
“This is a time of national distress. It is not the time to trade blames. It is not the time to play politics… We are not dealing with normal human beings. These are not normal people,” he said.
Makinde disclosed that federal security operatives had been stationed in Oyo for two weeks, with meetings held “morning and night, sometimes three or four times in a day.” He warned against actions that could “provide oxygen to the people that want to see us divided.”
Offering his strongest assurance yet, he declared: “I can give you the assurance that our children and their teachers, by the grace of God, will return safely.”
NUT Oyo Chairman, Fatai Hassan, said teachers were living in “palpable fear” after gunmen attacked four schools on May 15, killing teacher Comrade Joel Adesanya. “Teachers are now living in palpable fears. We cannot attend classes with our open minds anymore,” he said, announcing that members would stay out of classes pending the victims’ release.
NLC Chairman, Kayode Martins, warned the attack was not just about teachers: “Every Nigerian today is a target… In Nigeria today no life is safe.” He stressed labour’s support for rescue efforts but reminded government that “the sole and main responsibility of any state is the protection of lives and property.”
NANS President, Babatunde Akinteye, said students chose advocacy over shutting down highways to avoid undermining rescue operations. “It is time for government at all levels to work together… to make sure that our people return back to classes peacefully and completely without losing any life,” he said.
Makinde invited stakeholders to bring ideas for strengthening Oyo’s security architecture after the victims are rescued. “Please, and please, and please, it is time to unite to confront the challenges that we have and to bring back those children and our teachers. That is my plea,” he concluded.
The 18-day captivity of the pupils and teachers has now triggered an indefinite NUT strike in Oyo and a nationwide solidarity protest planned for Tuesday.
