Governor Seyi Makinde cannot continue to speak about insecurity as though it is an unfortunate natural disaster beyond human preparation. The recent kidnapping of scores of children in Oriire Local Government exposed not only the fragility of security architecture in Oyo State, but also the disturbing absence of urgency from a government that claims to have invested heavily in surveillance and intelligence gathering.
If indeed ₦7.7 billion has been paid since July 2025 for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, then the governor owes the people of Oyo State more than press briefings and damage control explanations. It is unacceptable that security equipment purchased with taxpayers’ money would remain in crates in Lagos for over eight months while communities in Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa and Ogbomoso axis repeatedly suffered attacks, abductions and fear.
What exactly was the urgency behind the purchase if the equipment was not going to be operational when the people needed it most? The revelation that Chinese engineers only arrived recently to begin assembly paints an embarrassing picture of a government reacting to public outrage instead of staying ahead of threats. Security is not about media announcements. It is about preparedness. It is about anticipating danger before innocent citizens become victims. Unfortunately, what happened in Oriire suggests that Governor Makinde’s government waited until tragedy struck before scrambling into action.
Even more troubling is the possibility that what was presented to the public as “aircraft” may merely be drone-based ISR systems requiring foreign assembly and technical handling. If that is the case, then the government deliberately allowed exaggerated public expectations to flourish while communities remained vulnerable. People heard “aircraft” and imagined active aerial surveillance protecting forests and highways. They did not imagine unassembled equipment abandoned in Lagos warehouses while bandits roamed freely across rural Oyo.
The bitter truth is this: more than 45 children were reportedly abducted while a ₦7.7 billion security asset sat idle. That is not proactive governance!
That is not strategic leadership! That is a painful example of avoidable negligence!
For months, residents of Oke-Ogun and adjoining areas have cried out over growing insecurity, kidnappings and the increasing boldness of armed criminals. Farmers have abandoned farmlands. Travellers move in fear. Parents now panic each time their children leave home for school. Yet the response from government has largely been ceremonial statements and late reactions after attacks occur.
A governor who truly understands the gravity of insecurity does not wait for national embarrassment before assembling security equipment. A serious government does not treat security infrastructure as a public relations project. Every delay in deploying intelligence assets has consequences, and in this case, innocent children paid the price for that delay.
Governor Makinde must stop governing insecurity through press conferences and begin governing with urgency, foresight and accountability. Oyo people deserve explanations, but more importantly, they deserve protection. The question is no longer whether aircraft were purchased.
The real question is: why was the government unprepared when the people needed security the most?
Governor Makinde may well have the shed blood of Teacher M.O. Oyedokun on his hands by his lackadaisical stance against insecurity in Oyo State.
