Rising insecurity in Oyo rekindles state police debate — APC

By Adeola Badru

IBADAN — The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo State has expressed concern over the recent wave of kidnappings and violent crimes in the state, saying the development has reinforced the need for renewed national discussions on state policing and sub-national security management.

The opposition party blamed Governor Seyi Makinde for what it described as the worsening security situation in the state, citing incidents of kidnappings, murders and attacks by hoodlums.

In a statement issued on Friday in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the APC said the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area, as well as the kidnapping of two staff members of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, CRIN, in Idi Ayunre, had heightened fears among residents.

The party alleged that the incidents exposed weaknesses in the state’s security architecture and accused the governor of failing to provide effective leadership on security matters.

“We have said on several occasions that window dressing and populism cannot help in the building and sustaining security architecture,” the statement read.

According to the APC, the Makinde administration weakened existing security collaboration structures after assuming office in 2019 by sidelining traditional rulers and other stakeholders involved in grassroots intelligence gathering.

“The current administration started on a bad note in 2019 with the disengagement of some critical stakeholders from joint security activities in the state and, up till the present moment, traditional rulers and other relevant institutions are being left out,” the party stated.

The APC also questioned the impact of investments made in security infrastructure, alleging that about N8 billion was spent on surveillance aircraft without corresponding improvements in security.

“He paid almost N8 billion for the procurement of surveillance aircraft but nothing has been seen since July 2025 while bandits and other criminal elements torment residents of the state,” the statement added.

The party further criticised the welfare conditions of personnel of the Oyo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun, alleging that operatives were poorly remunerated and lacked adequate welfare packages.

“No good salary, no welfare package, no insurance or retirement plans,” the APC claimed.

The opposition party also revisited the debate on state police, accusing Governor Makinde of previously opposing the initiative before recently lending support to it amid growing insecurity.

“Among those who did not submit their memorandum was Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and a few days after that, he was quoted as saying: ‘I did not submit any memorandum to the state police. I see it, quite frankly, as a waste of our time,’” the APC stated.

The party argued that the worsening security challenges across parts of the country had made the establishment of state police an issue that could no longer be ignored.

It called on the governor to take urgent steps to secure the release of all abducted persons and strengthen security operations across the state.

“Gov. Makinde should sit up and rescue all abductees immediately,” the statement added.

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