By Sola Abegunde
A couple of hours ago, I started seeing some online reports which claimed that Governor Seyi Makinde is asking for an international investigation into the abduction and rescue of Teachers and Pupils at Oriire Local Government.
When I saw the reports, my initial response was to quickly wave it away because I felt like, not even Governor Seyi Makinde, as funny as he often is, will want to spoil the joy of the victims, their families, the generality of the people of Oyo state and Nigeria at large, with such reckless comments.
However, on a second thought and bearing it in mind the fact that it is Governor Makinde we are dealing with here, I started looking for the original statement by the Governor. I didn’t search too far before I came across the video of the address by the Governor of Oyo state.
After listening to him, I remembered that I had once asked if Governor Seyi Makinde still have anyone around him, who genuinely loves him. If he does, he would not have been allowed to degenerate to this extremely low level.
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It was one of the late Chief Awolowo’s former ally, I have forgotten his name now, who, while contributing to a debate on a Motion which sought the declaration of a State of Emergency in the Western Region on May, 1962, said and I quote, “… the insanity of a rich man is not readily ascertainable…”.
According to the man, if a rich man puts on twenty gowns at the same time, people will say that he did so because he is rich, whereas, he is suffering from insanity.
In the first instance, I thought, at least, Governor Seyi Makinde should have allowed the poor victims to settle down and rest a bit before he introduced a controversial topic that is capable of further inflicting psychological pains on them.
For proper understanding, let me reproduce some of the statements made by Governor Seyi Makinde.
He said and I quote, “.. the circumstances surrounding this incident are sufficiently grave and unusual to warrant independent scrutiny beyond our domestic Institutions”.
He went further and I also quote, “… I call on appropriate international Human rights and accountability mechanisms, including those within the United Nations system to closely examine the facts surrounding the abduction and the circumstances of its resolution”.
Within the context of the above statement, are very dangerous insinuations.
Sadly, while making the statements, Governor Seyi Makinde provided no material facts to support his suspicions. I have seen people raising eyebrows about the fact that a Governor within the Nigerian nation is calling on foreign bodies to investigate an operation spearhead by the government and the entire security agencies in Nigeria.
If you look at the statement by Governor Seyi Makinde, his invitation to foreign bodies is child’s play compared to the suspicion he raised against the Government and Security Agencies of the Nigerian nation, without providing any material facts or proof.
When he said the circumstances surrounding the abduction and rescue of the victims are sufficiently grave and unusual, what exactly did he mean?
What are the particular circumstances Governor Makinde is talking about?
It will be mostly irresponsible for anyone to make such reckless comments without having concrete proof and I think the Federal Government should take this matter very seriously.
I know that Governor Seyi Makinde enjoys immunity by virtue of section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria but this is National Security we are talking about here
Section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should not confer anyone with the immunity to make very reckless and dangerous assumptions against the Nigerian State and our Security Agencies, to the extent that the motives behind an operation to rescue kidnapped victims will now be subjected to unhealthy suspicions without proof.
Governor Seyi Makinde must be invited by relevant Security Agencies to provide proof and shed light on the assumptions which emboldened him to raise veiled allegations against the Nigerian State and Its Security Agencies.
Governor Makinde is a very funny fellow. I am surprised that he is calling on International Bodies to investigate the circumstances surrounding the abduction and rescue of the victims.
I want to ask him, should the investigation also cover the circumstances surrounding his engagement of a notorious ex convict, Mukaila Auxiliary as the head of his private Security in 2019?
Should the international investigation cover the circumstances surrounding the appointment and empowerment of Auxiliary as the Chairman of the Oyo state Parks Management System by the Governor?
I think, at this point, the International Criminal Court of Justice should be invited to look into the circumstances leading to the massacre at Igangan when Governor Seyi Makinde campaigned in the town in 2023 in company of Auxiliary and other PDP thugs.
The international Court should also be invited to look at the circumstances surrounding the deaths of four innocent people who were killed at Eruwa by Auxiliary and PDP thugs during the Local Government election conducted by Governor Makinde in 2021.
What of the toddler crushed to death at Ogbomoso in 2023 and Rahman who was murdered in cold blood by Auxiliary at Iwo Road?
The 30 billion Naira he collected from the Federal Government with respect to the disaster at Bodija and which he has refused to account for, should we also invite the United Nations to investigate the circumstances surrounding that fraud?
During the address, Governor Makinde still repeated the fact that security is the responsibility of the Federal Government! Haba! Laise afise. ( Is reckless talks an affliction for this Governor)?
The same Governor Makinde who boasted some weeks ago that the Amotekun Corp was a stop gap arrangement while making a case for the establishment of State Police!
The same Governor Seyi Makinde who once said that the State Police is a waste of time!!
When a man begins to misbehave in Yoruba Land, our Elders always ask for his mother. ( Iya Omode yi daa)?
Sola Abegunde.
