Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has called for calm and collective support as efforts continue to secure the release of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Ogbomoso.
He made the appeal on Tuesday in Ibadan while speaking with protesters who gathered at the Government House. The demonstrators included members of 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 kidnapping.
The groups had also joined nationwide protests demanding the immediate rescue of the abducted pupils and teachers, while teachers in Oyo State continue an ongoing strike linked to the incident.
Makinde urged all stakeholders to avoid blame and division, stressing that security agencies were actively working on 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.
He described the attackers as inhumane, saying their actions showed extreme brutality.
“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.
The governor assured residents that security agencies had been deployed and were making progress, adding that he had been in constant communication with them.
“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 cautioned against actions that could deepen tensions or disrupt rescue efforts, insisting that unity was essential.
“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.
He expressed confidence that the abducted pupils and teachers would be rescued safely.
The protests followed similar demonstrations in Ibadan, Ogbomoso, and Abeokuta over the continued captivity of the victims.
