- Safiu Kehinde
The lawmaker representing Edo North Senatorial District, Sen. Adams Oshiomole, has faulted the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over his call for the United Nations probe into the abduction of the 39 students and seven teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of the state as well as their rescue operation.
After receiving the rescued victims at the state government house, Makinde in a state broadcast on Monday demanded independent investigation over the May 15 kidnap and the rescue mission.
Speaking on the governor’s call for UN’s intervention during the Senate’s plenary session today, Oshiomole faulted the Makinde over his statement.
The former Edo governor labelled the development as the most unstatesmanlike call to be made.
He held that Nigeria is a sovereign nation and the invitation of a foreign body undermined the effort of the security personnel who carried out the rescue mission.
“Mr. President, I read in the newspapers this morning and I also saw it on the electronic, the governor of Oyo State calling on the United Nations to investigate the overall circumstances surrounding the kidnap and even the rescue.
“I thought that was the most unstatesmanlike. He was carrying partisan politics too far. And this image will condemn his unguided statement. Nigeria is a sovereign nation.
“This is one case that in which our armed forces have shown that without paying ransom, even if it meant that some of these children and elders had to be in captivity for almost two months, the armed forces were working quietly to have this rescue operations which as well captured in this motion led to some loss of lives.” He said.
Oshiomole accused Makinde of trivialising the development which, according to him, questioned the sovereignty of the country and also undermine the achievement of President Bola Tinubu.
The lawmaker maintained that the rescue of the abducted victims supposed to be a point of call for every Nigerian across party divide to stand in unison and encourage the armed forces.
“To trivialise it to suggest as the governor or Oyo state seems to have done, that there is something that is not open, that UN needs to unearth the circumstances is to question the sovereignty of our Nation and to downplay the achievement of the Commander-in-Chief, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and all those involved in this process.
“I feel that there is a moment in the history of the nation where across party divide, we should stand in unison to convey what has happened and to encourage the armed forces to build on it.
“It is not possible for them to share with us some of the things they did.” He said.
Oshiomole raised the motion to caution Makinde against downplaying and politicising the rescue of the kidnap victims.
“I want us to resolve that the governor of Oyo state should not be seen as downplaying, undermining, and politicising an issue which whole nation, across party divide should stand in unison to commend our armed forces on what we have accomplished.” He said.
The motion was subsequently adopted with the Senate resolving to caution the Oyo state governor.