Lessons From Oriire: Sola Abegunde

On the 15th of May, 2026, Bandits struck at Oriire Local Government of Oyo state.

On that fateful day, Pupils and Teachers numbering 47 were abducted by the Bandits.

A number of days after the attack, one of the Teachers was murdered by the Bandits in cold blood.

A day before the attack, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state declared his intention to run for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the Allied People’s Movement, APM.

Barely two months after their abduction, precisely on the 10th of July, 2026, the Federal Government, through the Special Adviser on Media to the president, announced the successful rescue of all the remaining abducted victims.

Let me say here, that I received the news of the rescue of those children and teachers with wild jubilation and I must admit that the whole Nation felt the same way.

I must also say that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu warmed my heart so greatly.

The Leadership and members of our Security Agencies who participated in the rescue operation deserve their flowers.

They made a Nation proud. However, I am specifically singling president Bola Ahmed Tinubu out for praises because of the matured manner he handled the pressures that followed the unfortunate incident.

As President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the bulk stops at his table on matters of Security challenges such as we had at Oriire.

Unfortunately, when he needed the understanding and support of everyone to succeed on the task, some people chose politics above patriotism.

A couple of weeks ago, Omoyele Swore and Kemi Olunloyo alleged that the abducted Teachers and Pupils have been taken away from the Old Oyo National Park and have been transported to Kaduna state.

That position was against the information by Military Authorities who kept assuring that they had the situation under control and that the Bandits were contained effectively somewhere inside the Old Oyo National Park.

Honestly, I wonder how bad the president who was doing everything possible to ensure the safe return of the abducted victims must have felt, reading such stories.

About last week, a former Governor of Anambra state and Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress, NDC said that Governor Seyi Makinde informed him that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not called him since the abduction of the Teachers and Pupils of Oriire Local Government.

I was so shocked and annoyed to see such a comment coming from a two term Governor and Presidential Aspirant.

When people make this kind of seemingly harmless comments with a spirit that implies hypocrisy, I feel so bad for what our society is fast becoming.

When Peter Obi said he was informed by Governor Seyi Makinde that the president has not called him since the Teachers and Pupils were abducted, what was he implying?

That Tinubu lacks empathy or that he has left Makinde to deal with the issue on his own or what?

Who was supposed to call who? Who was supposed to brief who?

If Governor Makinde actually told Peter Obi that the president hasn’t called him since the abduction of the victims, reasonably, one would have expected Peter Obi to educate him better by telling him that, as the Chief Security officer for Oyo state, Governor Makinde is the one who ought to have briefed the president personally. Not even through the telephone.

The Bible is a complete Book. In the Book of Amos Chapter 3 vs 3, the Bible says, ” can two walk together, except they be agreed”?

Governor Seyi Makinde himself has been playing politics and blame games since the abduction on the 15th May, 2026.

When he visited Oriire Local Government after the abduction, he told the Community that he is not in control of the Security apparatuses in Oyo state, even though, he kept meeting with the Leadership of those Agencies.

Some weeks ago, the Speaker of the Oyo state House of Assembly, on the floor of the Oyo state House of Assembly, made a very dangerous interference in the matter when he said the Bandits have made some demands which the Bandits later came out to deny.

Interestingly, just yesterday, when the operation for the rescue of the victims must have been on, Governor Seyi Makinde was in far away Bauchi state where he made further political statements about the abduction.

He said that he announced his presidential ambition on the 14th of May, 2026 around 4pm and that the Bandits struck at Oriire the following day around 9am.

He said, Oyo state has never recorded such attacks in its History.

Haba! Governor Seyi Makinde!!

When you were making such very hypocritical comments, what were insinuating? What dangerous message were you trying to pass?

Are you saying that the attack was a direct response, a deliberate action targeted at you for daring to declare the intention to run for the presidency?

Even Peter Obi and the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have never been this petty!

Galatians Chapter 6 vs 7 is apt here. It says: ” Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”.

While Governor Seyi Makinde was playing dirty politics in far away Bauchi state, God was vindicating and exonerating Tinubu in his backyard in Oyo state.

I am sure, that, like most of us, ordinary folks, Governor Seyi Makinde must have learned about the rescue of the abducted victims on the News.

Serves him right!

I listened to him talking to Seun Okinbaloye of Channels and I asked myself, even at that point, the Governor still felt he needed to be exonerating himself?

At that point, the country was in a frenzy. We were rejoicing with the families of the rescued victims.

Who had the time to listen to Governor Makinde’s desperate comparism between Chibok and Oriire and whosever received the blames for the incidents?

How could you be the Governor of a state and people were abducted in schools within your state and you want to appear like you had no responsibility to share?

As a Governor, you are in charge of the Amotekun Corp. Are they well equipped?

Is their condition of service fit and proper for such a dangerous work?

You took almost 8 billion Naira of public funds and said you were going to purchase two surveillance Aircrafts and it is taking eternity for the Aircrafts to be delivered, just as the rehabilitation of the Ido-Eruwa Road has become a riddle impossible for you to solve and you think people are not going to talk?

I suggest that Governor Makinde should go and learn how to handle difficult situations under pressure from president Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Under very serious pressure, provocation, misunderstanding and misrepresentation of his intentions, the man remained focused. Eyes on the goal and to the glory of God, the abducted victims are back home.

Even if Governor Seyi Makinde decides to relocate to the Odogbo Military Base from tomorrow, the whole world already knows who did what.

Tinubu has done his job perfectly on this. Whatever remains for others are mere ” afefeyeye”.

Sola Abegunde.