The Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, has attributed Nigeria’s worsening security challenges to poor governance and poverty, saying the situation reflects broader socio-economic failures in the country.
He stated this on Sunday during a sympathy visit to the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, at his Ibadan residence over the abduction of pupils and teachers in Yawota and Ahoro-Esinle communities of Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
Mohammed was accompanied by some leaders of the Allied People’s Movement, including the National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, and the party’s governorship candidate in Bauchi State, Yakubu Adamu.
The reports that over 40 schoolchildren and their teachers were abducted in Ahoro-Esinle community in the local government area on Friday, May 15, 2026.
Speaking during the visit, Mohammed said, “The security situation is a manifestation of a lack of good governance, poverty and the challenges of life.
“Beyond that, I think the citizenry should sit up and make sure they take their destinies into their own hands.
“People need to take their destinies into their own hands to ensure that they do not become informants or play along with criminal tendencies. And, of course, they must make sure that they elect good people to lead them.
“Leadership is another factor, and they must ensure that they bring about change because they know where the shoe pinches.
“I don’t have to talk too much. We don’t have to exonerate ourselves at any level of leadership, whether at the sub-national, national or local government level, but I think during the next election cycle, people should take their destinies into their own hands.”
During the visit, Mohammed expressed solidarity with Makinde and called for improved synergy among security agencies in addressing the country’s worsening security challenges.
Speaking with journalists, the Bauchi governor said he shared the grief of his Oyo counterpart as the abducted pupils and teachers had remained in captivity for a month.
He said, “I am here with our leaders from the Allied People’s Movement to commiserate with our presidential candidate and the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, over the travails that the people and government of Oyo are going through as a result of the abduction of our schoolchildren and their teachers.
“It has been a lingering issue for some time, and we are really sharing the grief with him. We are here to encourage him that what he is doing to ensure their release is being noticed by the whole nation. And we join, on behalf of myself and the government and people of Bauchi State, to commiserate with and encourage him to ensure that these Nigerians are released.”
Mohammed expressed confidence that the efforts of the Oyo State Government would soon lead to the release of the kidnapped teachers and pupils.
He also expressed readiness to assist the government in whatever way he could to ensure the early release of the abductees.
Mohammed added that the visit also provided an opportunity to congratulate Makinde on his emergence as the APM’s presidential candidate.
The Bauchi governor said, “He (Makinde) is my jolly good friend, a young man with energy, determination and drive, who can do a lot to change the trajectory of leadership and good governance in Nigeria.”
Speaking further, Mohammed argued that the nation’s security architecture required scrutiny to engender greater commitment and better synergy among security operatives, as well as between security agencies and citizens.
The Secretary to the Oyo State Government, Musibau Babatunde; the Commissioner for Public Works and Transport, Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola; and the Senior Executive Assistant on General Duties, Bayo Lawal, among others, joined Makinde in receiving the guests.