Rising insecurity in Oyo fuels new concerns over the state policing debate — APC

By Adeola Badru

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has expressed serious concerns over a recent surge of kidnappings and violent crimes in the state, arguing that the situation underscores the need for a coordinated national discussion on state policing and sub‑national security management.

The opposition party attributes the deteriorating security environment to Governor Seyi Makinde, describing a sharp rise in kidnappings, murders and hoodlum attacks, and contrasting the situation with what it calls “relative stability” in other South‑West states.

In a statement released on Friday in Ibadan by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the APC highlighted the abduction of school children and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area and the kidnapping of two staff members of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) in Idi Ayunre. The incidents, the party said, have heightened fears among residents and exposed weaknesses in the state’s security architecture.

The APC accused Governor Makinde of politicising security issues and failing to provide effective leadership as the state’s Chief Security Officer.

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

The party claims that the current administration weakened existing security collaboration structures after taking office in 2019 by sidelining traditional rulers and other critical 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 utilisation of funds spent on security infrastructure, alleging that nearly N8 billion was expended on surveillance aircraft, which the party says has produced little visible impact on security operations across the state.

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

The opposition party further criticised the welfare conditions of operatives of the Oyo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun, claiming that personnel were poorly treated despite the strategic importance of the outfit in tackling insecurity across the South‑West region.

“No good salary, no welfare package, no insurance or retirement plans,” the APC alleged, adding that many operatives were being deployed “to wrong places where they serve the interest of those in power and their friends only.”

The party also revisited the national debate on the establishment of state police, accusing Governor Makinde of previously opposing the initiative before recently advocating 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 said.

The party maintains that the worsening security challenges in parts of the country have made state policing an unavoidable national issue requiring sincerity and collaboration among political leaders.

It urged the governor to take immediate steps toward securing the release of all abducted persons and strengthening security operations across the state, noting, “Gov. Makinde should sit up and rescue all abductees immediately.”

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