Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has appealed for calm and unity as efforts continue to secure the release of abducted schoolchildren and teachers from Ogbomoso
Makinde made the appeal on Tuesday in Ibadan while addressing protesters drawn from the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), and the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), who staged a solidarity rally over the incident.
The groups had earlier joined nationwide demonstrations demanding the immediate rescue of the kidnapped pupils and teachers, amid an ongoing teachers’ strike in Oyo State triggered by the crisis.
Addressing the gathering at the Government House, the governor urged stakeholders to avoid blame games and instead support ongoing rescue operations.
“It’s not the time for us to say, well, it is the president that should have handled this, it is the governor or the local government. This is a time to pull together as one,” he said.
Makinde described the attackers as “not normal human beings,” stressing the brutality of the crime and the need for collective resolve in addressing insecurity.
“We’re not dealing with normal human beings. We’re dealing with people… just think briefly, how will somebody take a fellow human being and slaughter him? Is that somebody that is normal? So these are not normal people,” he said.
He assured residents that security agencies were actively working to rescue the victims, adding that he had been in constant meetings with security operatives deployed to the state.
“I can only appeal to you, for the students, the workers, the teachers, I can appeal to you to please have trust in your government,” he said.
“We’re doing our best. I’ve heard from the federal government security operatives that have been here for the past two weeks. They spent Sallah here.
“I’ve been meeting with them morning, night, and sometimes three, four times in a day.”
Makinde also warned against actions that could worsen divisions or hinder rescue efforts, insisting that unity was crucial at the moment.
“We shouldn’t provide oxygen to the people that want to see us divided. The response at this time should be to pull together, allow the government to see this through,” he said.
“I can give you the assurance that our children and their teachers will be rescued.”
The protest followed similar demonstrations held in Ibadan, Ogbomoso, and Abeokuta over the continued captivity of the victims.
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You people should just do the needful and stop using innocent lives as bait
When it is certain that none of your family members are there. You know this people