Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has issued a blunt ultimatum to the Federal Government over the lingering debate on state policing, declaring that officials should “stop wasting Nigerians’ time” and empower state Houses of Assembly to create their own police structures without further delay. The governor’s renewed call came barely 24 hours after he described the abduction of pupils and teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area as “a very tough period for me as a person and also for our state”. Addressing party faithful and delegates at the governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly primaries organised by the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) at the Watershed Celebration Centre in Ibadan on Thursday, May 28, 2026, Makinde declared: “They should stop wasting Nigerians’ time. If they truly want state police, they should not ask the Inspector‑General of Police to create it for us. Our State Assemblies should be given the authority and support to establish state police. Within the shortest possible time, state police will become a reality.”
The governor’s remarks came just days after the May 15, 2026, coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Ahoro‑Esinele; and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, all in Oriire Local Government Area, which saw the abduction of pupils, students and teachers by armed terrorists. The assailants, who arrived on motorcycles and dressed in military camouflage, shot sporadically as they stormed the schools, killing an assistant headmaster, Mr. Joel Adesiyan, and a commercial motorcyclist before forcing a large number of captives into the bush. A mathematics teacher, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, was later beheaded by his captors in a viral video, sparking nationwide outrage. Governor Makinde confirmed that seven students were abducted from Community Grammar School, while 18 children and seven teachers were taken from First Baptist Primary and Nursery School. Community leaders, however, placed the total number at 46 persons, including a two‑year‑old toddler.
Governor Makinde used the platform to defend the creation of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, insisting that the outfit was never intended as a substitute for state police but as an emergency stop‑gap measure. “Before this administration came on board, there was nothing like Amotekun in Oyo. We wanted state police, but because we did not get it, we created Amotekun as an alternative arrangement,” Makinde said. His latest intervention follows similar calls from South‑West governors in past years, who have consistently argued that the centralised policing model is ill‑equipped to respond to rapidly evolving local threats, particularly kidnappings and banditry. Makinde further noted that the South‑West Houses of Assembly had already demonstrated their capacity by passing a uniform law to establish Amotekun, and that the same legislative mechanism should be used to bring state police into existence. “The federal government should give the state assemblies the authority to establish state police rather than waiting for the Inspector‑General of Police,” he reiterated.
Security analysts noted that the Oyo abduction has become a symbol of the operational gap that state police might fill. Local hunters and vigilante groups were among the first responders on the day of the attack, but their pursuit was hampered by a lack of legal coordination with conventional security forces. The assailants also deployed improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along their escape routes, further complicating rescue efforts. The Oyo State Police Command subsequently arrested six suspects believed to be informants who maintained telephone communication with the bandits during and after the attack, guiding them through forest routes within the Old Oyo National Park. However, as of Friday, May 29, 2026, the 46 pupils, students and teachers remain in captivity, with no major rescue breakthrough announced.
The governor’s ultimatum has drawn mixed reactions. The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and some northern governors have expressed reservations about state police, fearing potential abuse by state executives and the exacerbation of ethnic and religious tensions. However, prominent voices in the South‑West and South‑East have rallied behind Makinde’s position, arguing that the status quo has failed to protect rural communities. The Inspector‑General of Police, Olatunji Disu, who visited the affected Oriire communities on May 17, 2026, ordered intensified rescue operations and the deployment of additional detectives, but did not directly address the state police debate.
Makinde concluded his address by appealing to residents to continue supporting the government’s security initiatives and reaffirming his commitment to the Omituntun governance agenda. “People know that security has always been one of the major pillars of this administration since we introduced Omituntun 1.0, and it remains a major focus,” he said. He assured the families of the abducted children and teachers that the government would not abandon them, while also advising the APM governorship consensus candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, to chart his own political course and not inherit political battles. “I have told Bimbo not to inherit my enemies. He should chart his own course. I am only human and I made mistakes just like everyone else. Whatever we have done that can be improved upon should be improved upon for the benefit of our people in Oyo,” the governor added.
As the search for the missing 46 victims continues, Makinde’s demand for state police has shifted the focus from immediate rescue to long‑term structural reform, placing the Federal Government under renewed pressure to resolve a debate that has simmered for decades. For the families of the abducted pupils and teachers, however, the immediate concern remains the safe return of their loved ones, not the constitutional process of policing.
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