Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has accused the Oyo State Government of masterminding the recent kidnapping of pupils and teachers in parts of the state in a bid to discredit President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Fayose made the accusation while speaking on a television show, where he questioned the Oyo State Government’s response to the tragedy and hinted that political reasons may have influenced its treatment.
The former governor’s comments followed the kidnapping of pupils and teachers by gunmen in some local government areas of Oyo State on Friday, an incident that drew national attention and prompted a response from the Federal Government.
Recall that following the abduction, President Tinubu deployed a high-level team to the affected villages, assuring residents that efforts were underway to secure the victims’ release.
In response to the development, Fayose maintained that state governments had primary responsibility for local security issues and should not quickly shift focus to the federal government.
“Let me branch to Oyo State, before you get to the president in the hierarchy of leadership and governance, there is local government, there is state, state has security votes and there are people that are supposed to be working,” Fayose said.
According to Fayose, Governor Seyi Makinde did not respond swiftly to the incident, choosing to concentrate on political matters while the crisis unfolded.
“In Oyo State, I strongly believe though I might be wrong but this sometimes might be orchestrated. The governor of Oyo State had his nomination and that of his candidates in the face of this abduction,” he said.
“He did not take any action, no steps were taken, it was after those nominations that he went to the families to visit them.”
The former governor further alleged that the incident may have been deliberately arranged to cast the federal government in a negative light.
“I sometimes believe that the abduction at Oyo School was orchestrated by the Oyo State Government to blackmail President Tinubu,” Fayose said.