Makinde assures Oyo abductees will return home by Eid‑el‑Kabir.

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has assured that all children and teachers abducted on 16 May in Oriire Local Government Area will be rescued and returned home.

The statement was made on Wednesday at the governor’s Ikolaba residence, where he hosted Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal and other Muslim appointees.

While addressing the Muslim faithful, Makinde shifted the conversation from the Eid‑el‑Kabir celebrations to the recent abduction of schoolchildren in the state.

The governor said, “We’re working around the clock to ensure the abducted children are reunited with their families.”

“I pray that God Almighty console those in despair at their point of need,” he added.

He urged residents to maintain a spirit of tolerance as the political campaign season approaches, emphasizing that Oyo’s reputation for tolerance would serve as a safeguard.

“We are moving toward the political season, and for us in Oyo State, we are very liberal and tolerant people,” he said. “It is difficult to use ethnicity or religion to divide us.”

“Even as we move toward the political era, remember that governments will come and go, but the state and our country will remain.”

“In another seven or eight months, the president‑elect and governors‑elect would have emerged. We all have to work together with whoever emerges in the interest of our state and our country,” he stressed.

Earlier, Deputy Governor Lawal spoke to reporters at the Ibadan Central Praying Ground, Agodi, about the importance of obeying God’s commandments, citing the example of Prophet Ibrahim.

“Prophet Ibrahim obeyed, and at the point of the sacrifice of his son, Allah spared the son and replaced him with a ram,” Lawal said. “This signifies the need and importance of obedience to lawful authority.”

He added that the event also highlighted the need for sacrifice and for Muslims to embody a spirit of charity by helping one another.

Lawal noted that the state has enjoyed peace under the current administration and prayed that it would continue, urging people to pray for stability and peaceful coexistence.

In his sermon, Sheikh Abdulganiyy Agbotomokekere, Chief Imam of Ibadanland, called on all Muslims to be tolerant and accommodate one another.

Agbotomokekere urged the faithful to emulate the deeds of Prophet Ibrahim, stressing that tolerance and obedience should be prioritized in daily life.

He cautioned politicians to avoid actions that could lead to violence and disrupt the state’s peaceful atmosphere as the nation moves toward the political campaign season. (NAN)

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