Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said President Bola Tinubu did not contact him during the 56-day captivity of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
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Makinde made the claim during an exclusive interview with Arise Television on Friday, while discussing his relationship with Tinubu, whom he supported in the 2023 presidential election.
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The governor said he tried to see the President after the abduction because he expected the Federal Government to show interest in a major security crisis affecting Oyo State
“I tried to see the President when our students and our children and their teachers were kidnapped, because I thought if any part of Nigeria is going through such a challenge, the President should be interested. Actually, I expected the President to call me,” Makinde said.
Asked whether Tinubu called him, Makinde replied: “He did not. No. Till tomorrow.”punchng+1
He added that he contacted the State Chief of Protocol in an effort to reach the President, but the official did not answer his call.
What happened in Oriire
Gunmen attacked schools in Oriire Local Government Area on May 15, 2026, abducting pupils and teachers. Reports put the number initially abducted at 39 pupils and seven teachers, while the Oyo State Government later said 46 pupils and teachers were abducted and two teachers died
The victims were held for 56 days before security agencies rescued 44 of them on July 10, 2026.fmino.gov+2
The rescue involved the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, police, Department of State Services, National Intelligence Agency, National Counter Terrorism Centre, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, local vigilantes, hunters and Amotekun personnel.fmino
President Tinubu publicly welcomed the rescue, saying security forces had successfully freed the abducted pupils and teachers after a military, police and intelligence-led operation.
Makinde’s message
Makinde did not say that the Federal Government failed to participate in the rescue operation. His claim was narrower: that Tinubu did not personally call him during the crisis, despite the governor’s attempts to reach him
“I’m saying it again that till tomorrow I’ve not spoken directly with the President, about anything. I’m just minding my own business, running Oyo State. And I’m not complaining,” Makinde said.
He also suggested that the apparent distance between him and Tinubu might be linked to speculation that he could contest the 2027 presidential election against the President. He said he could only speculate about the cause of the strained relationship
The claim matters because the Oriire abduction was not an ordinary security incident. It involved schoolchildren and teachers, lasted nearly two months, and became a major test of Nigeria’s ability to respond quickly to mass abductions
Makinde’s comments draw attention to a familiar weakness in Nigeria’s security response: coordination may happen operationally among security agencies, while political communication between federal and state leaders can remain strained or unclear.fmino.
For parents and communities in Oyo, the issue is not who receives credit for the rescue. It is whether the next abduction triggers faster information-sharing, clearer command structures and stronger protection for schools.fmino.
Quote box
“I tried to see the President when our students and our children and their teachers were kidnapped… Actually, I expected the President to call me.”
— Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.
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