Stop Blaming Makinde for What Abuja Controls — Dele Farotimi Sparks Security Debate
"Stop Turning Tragedy Into Politics": Dele Farotimi Defends Makinde, Says School Kidnappings Are Primarily a Federal Security Failure
Human rights lawyer and political commentator Dele Farotimi has weighed in on the growing controversy surrounding the abduction of school pupils and teachers in Oyo State, arguing that critics who place the blame solely on Governor Seyi Makinde are politicising a national security crisis.
Farotimi's comments come amid public outrage over the kidnapping of dozens of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, an incident that has reignited concerns about insecurity and the safety of educational institutions across Nigeria. Recent reports indicate that the attacks involved multiple schools, with students and teachers forcibly taken by armed men, leaving families and communities devastated.
According to Farotimi, the responsibility for confronting heavily armed criminal groups rests primarily with the Federal Government, which constitutionally controls the nation's security architecture, including the military, police, intelligence agencies and other armed security institutions.
He maintained that expecting a state governor to personally confront criminals carrying sophisticated weapons ignores the realities of Nigeria's security structure. In his view, governors do not command military formations or federal security agencies and therefore cannot be held solely accountable for incidents involving heavily armed kidnappers operating across multiple jurisdictions.
The debate emerged after several commentators and political opponents accused Governor Makinde of failing to prevent the abductions and of not doing enough to secure the release of the victims. However, supporters of the governor argue that security remains on the Exclusive Legislative List, placing ultimate responsibility for national defence and policing under the Federal Government. They insist that state governments can only support federal security agencies through logistics, intelligence gathering and local security initiatives.
The Oyo school abductions have attracted national attention because they occurred in a region previously considered relatively safer than many parts of northern Nigeria, where mass school kidnappings have become a recurring security challenge in recent years. Security analysts have warned that the spread of kidnapping networks into southwestern states represents a dangerous escalation of Nigeria's insecurity crisis.
Governor Makinde himself has repeatedly urged Nigerians to avoid engaging in a blame game while rescue operations are ongoing. The governor has stated that this is a time for cooperation among all levels of government rather than political point-scoring. He has also disclosed that his administration has been working closely with federal security agencies and holding regular security meetings aimed at securing the safe return of the abducted pupils and teachers.
Farotimi's position reflects a broader constitutional debate that has existed in Nigeria for years. While governors are often described as chief security officers of their states, they do not exercise operational control over the Nigeria Police Force, the military or most federal security agencies. This arrangement has frequently generated controversy whenever major security breaches occur within a state.
The latest kidnappings have once again intensified calls for security sector reforms, including discussions around state policing and the decentralisation of security responsibilities. Advocates of such reforms argue that state governments would be better positioned to respond rapidly to local threats if they possessed greater control over policing and intelligence operations.
Meanwhile, families of the abducted children and teachers continue to appeal for urgent action from authorities. Their primary concern remains the safe return of their loved ones rather than the political arguments surrounding responsibility. Community leaders, civil society groups and labour organisations have also called for stronger security measures to protect schools and prevent future attacks.
As public debate continues, Farotimi insists that the focus should remain on rescuing the victims and addressing the structural weaknesses that have allowed kidnapping and banditry to flourish across the country. For him, turning a human tragedy into a partisan political battle risks distracting attention from the larger issue: Nigeria's ongoing struggle to provide adequate security for its citizens.
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