The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Tuesday appealed to protesters demanding the rescue of abducted pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area to trust the government and support ongoing efforts to secure the victims’ release.
Addressing demonstrators at the Oyo State Government House in Ibadan, the governor said the situation required collective action rather than blame, stressing that security agencies were working tirelessly to bring the abductees home safely.
Makinde said the perpetrators of the abduction were not acting as rational human beings, noting that their actions reflected extreme brutality.
“So 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,” he said.
“This is a time to pull together as one. We’re not dealing with normal human beings.
“How will somebody take a fellow human being and slaughter him? Is that somebody that is normal? So these are not normal people.”
The governor appealed to students, workers, teachers and residents to remain calm and have confidence in the government’s efforts.
“I can only appeal to you, all the students, the workers, the teachers. Please have trust in your government. We’re doing our best,” he said.
Makinde disclosed that security operatives deployed by the Federal Government had been working in the affected area for the past two weeks, adding that he had maintained regular contact with them.
“I’ve had federal government security operatives here for the past two weeks. They spent their sallah here. I’ve been meeting with them morning, night and sometimes three or four times in a day,” he said.
He urged residents not to take actions that could embolden the abductors or create divisions within the state.
“We shouldn’t provide oxygen to the people that want to see us divided. The response at this time should be to pull together and allow the government to see this through,” he said.
The governor also expressed optimism that the victims would be rescued safely.
“I can give you the assurance that our children and their teachers are listening to us,” he added.
The protest was held amid growing concern over the abduction of pupils and teachers during attacks on schools in the Ahoro-Esiele community of Oriire Local Government Area.
Watch the video below:
𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞 𝐔𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐀𝐛𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐏𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞
Credit: Melody 100.7 FM
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