The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has described Governor Seyi Makinde’s call for a United Nations-led investigation into the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State as a demonstration of lack of confidence in the country’s security institutions.
Onanuga insisted that the military and other security agencies had already provided explanations on the rescue operation, saying the governor’s call was unnecessary and politically motivated.
Makinde, while formally assuming responsibility for the welfare, rehabilitation and education of the 45 teachers and pupils rescued after spending 56 days in captivity on Monday, called for a UN-backed investigation into the abduction. He said Nigerians deserved a full account of the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, Onanuga said the Presidency had no objection to an international body examining the incident if Makinde believed there were unresolved issues.
“The Governor has just expressed his opinion that the UN should probe this incident. Our doors are open. Let the UN come if he thinks there is more to it than what our military has explained,” he said.
Onanuga, however, questioned the basis for the governor’s demand, arguing that security agencies had no reason to deliberately subject Nigerians, especially children, to prolonged captivity.
According to him, the rescue operation came at a cost, with some security personnel, including members of the military and Amotekun, losing their lives while pursuing the abductors.
He said it was “unthinkable” that anyone would deliberately conspire to expose the victims to the 56-day ordeal, including the killing of a mathematics teacher during captivity.
“Look at those kids. Some of them are just about four or six years old. Will anyone want to deliberately subject them to the trauma they went through for 56 days?” he asked.
The presidential spokesman accused Makinde, who is a presidential aspirant, of allowing political considerations to influence his call for an international probe.
“It is just unfortunate that Mr. Makinde, maybe because of politics, because he is a presidential candidate now, doesn’t have any trust in our own institutions and is now calling on an external body to come and investigate,” he said.
Onanuga added that the military and the Department of State Services had already disclosed what they knew about the incident, describing the governor’s demand as “unwarranted” and “absolutely unnecessary.”
He accused Makinde of attempting to politicise the matter, saying, “The man is just playing politics, and it is the politics of the bizarre. He wants to weaponise anything available, including dredging up a strange conspiracy theory.”
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