ABUJA – Senator representing Edo North Senatorial District, Adams Oshiomhole, has criticized Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde over his call for the United Nations (UN) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the abduction and rescue of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking during Tuesday’s plenary session of the Senate, Oshiomhole described the governor’s appeal as “unstatesmanlike,” insisting that Nigeria, as a sovereign nation, is capable of investigating its own security matters without external intervention.
Governor Makinde had made the call during a statewide broadcast on Monday after the Nigerian military formally handed over the rescued pupils and teachers. He argued that the incident raised questions requiring independent scrutiny beyond Nigeria’s domestic institutions and urged the UN and other international human rights and accountability bodies to investigate the circumstances surrounding the abduction.
Reacting on the Senate floor, Oshiomhole said the governor had allowed partisan politics to overshadow national interest, arguing that the remarks diminished the efforts of President Bola Tinubu, the Nigerian Armed Forces, and other security agencies involved in securing the victims’ release.
“The Oyo State Governor calling on the United Nations to investigate the circumstances surrounding the abduction and even the rescue is, in my view, the most unstatesmanlike,” Oshiomhole said.
“He carries partisan politics too far, and this Senate should condemn his unguided statement. Nigeria is a sovereign nation.”
The former Edo State governor maintained that Nigeria’s security agencies have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to rescue kidnapping victims without paying ransom.
“When we wake up and call on foreign authorities to investigate, we ignore the fact that there are several instances where our armed forces have successfully rescued victims without paying ransom,” he said.
“To trivialize that achievement, as the governor of Oyo State seems to have done, downplays the efforts of the Commander-in-Chief and everyone involved in the rescue operation.”
Oshiomhole’s remarks add a new political dimension to the debate over the Oriire abduction, with differing views emerging on whether an independent international investigation is necessary despite the successful rescue of the victims.
Comments