Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Nigerian comedian and entertainer Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY, has delivered a blistering critique of the country’s political culture, declaring that when a person’s livelihood depends on politics or politicians, “your conscience dies and telling the truth becomes your greatest fear.” In a reflective social media post on Friday, May 29, 2026, Makun commented on the broader implications of the recent mass abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, but his words landed like a grenade in a political system where silence is often the currency of survival.
The attack that prompted Makun’s intervention occurred on May 15, 2026, when about 12 armed men on motorcycles, dressed in military camouflage, simultaneously stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Ahoro‑Esinele; and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. The assailants shot sporadically, killing an assistant headmaster, Mr. Joel Adesiyan, and a commercial motorcyclist, before forcing pupils and teachers into the bush. A mathematics teacher, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, was later beheaded by his captors in a viral video that sparked national outrage. Community leaders placed the total number of abducted persons at 46, comprising 39 pupils and students and seven teachers, including a two‑year‑old toddler, Christianah Akanbi.
In his post, Makun wrote: “It’s time we tell ourselves some truths. When your source of livelihood depends on politics or politicians, your conscience dies and telling the truth becomes your greatest fear. That is one thing I have noticed amongst us. We need to reflect deeply on the state of the nation and our collective responsibility as Nigerians. Today, we are dealing with matters that affect the country, not a political party, tribe, or religion.”
The statement has since gone viral, drawing thousands of reactions on Instagram, X and Facebook, with many users applauding Makun for breaking rank with the cautious silence that often characterises celebrity commentary on governance and security. Others saw his words as a thinly veiled reference to the gag effect of political patronage, where individuals and groups who receive government appointments, contracts or other favours feel compelled to defend or overlook even the most glaring failures of leadership.
Makun’s intervention comes amid a deepening crisis of accountability in Nigeria’s security sector. The Oyo abduction remains unresolved, with the 46 victims still in captivity more than two weeks after the attack. The Oyo State Police Command has arrested six suspects believed to be informants, but the actual abductors remain at large. The Defence Headquarters had described the incident as an “isolated criminal act” rather than evidence of an entrenched terrorist network in the South‑West, a distinction that has drawn sharp criticism from civil society and opposition figures.
The comedian’s remarks have also touched a nerve within the entertainment industry itself, where public figures have often been accused of staying silent on political and security issues for fear of losing government contracts or endorsements. Makun’s willingness to speak, and to connect the loss of moral courage to the economics of political survival, has therefore been read as both a personal declaration and a collective indictment.
The Oyo kidnapping is not the only tragedy feeding the public’s frustration. In the same week as Makun’s post, bandits in Zamfara State killed the Director of Planning of Talata Mafara Local Government Area, Jamilu Sani, and the councillor representing Jangebe Ward, Muslimu Habibu, after holding them for ten days and then refusing to accept any ransom. In Plateau State, armed bandits killed three people and abducted several others in fresh attacks on villages in Mangu Local Government Area. And in Kwara State, gunmen killed three worshippers and abducted 15 others during a night vigil at a prayer ground in the Ekiti Local Government Area.
The cumulative effect of these incidents has been a growing sense among Nigerians that the security apparatus is failing, and that the political class, shielded from consequence by a system of patronage and loyalty, has become dangerously disconnected from the suffering of ordinary citizens. Makun’s post gave voice to that anger in a way that few public figures have dared.
Makun concluded his post with an appeal for national reflection beyond partisan or ethnic lines. “We need to reflect deeply on the state of the nation and our collective responsibility as Nigerians,” he wrote. “Today, we are dealing with matters that affect the country, not a political party, tribe, or religion.” The call has resonated with thousands of Nigerians who have shared his words across social media platforms.
As of Friday, May 29, 2026, the Federal Government has not responded directly to Makun’s statement. The Oyo State Government continues to coordinate rescue efforts for the 46 abducted pupils and teachers, but no major breakthrough has been announced. For the families of the victims, the wait is agonising. For a nation confronting the collapse of its moral and political conscience, Makun’s warning is both a mirror and a prophecy: when speaking truth becomes a threat to survival, the silence that follows is not peace – it is surrender.
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