- Safiu Kehinde
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has set up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to probe the abduction of students and teachers from Esinele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
Dotun Oyelade, the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Ibadan days after the rescue of the kidnap victims.
NPO Reported that the students and teachers numbering 48 in total were on the 15th of May kidnapped during school hours by gunmen linked to the Ansaru terrorists’ group.
They were held hostage within the Old Oyo National Park for 56 days during which two out of the nine kidnap teachers were killed.
Their abduction had drawn nationwide attention with calls for their rescue until they eventually regained their freedom on the 10th of July.
Sequel to their release, Makinde on Thursday unveiled the judicial commission which, according to Oyelade, was expected to determine the circumstances surrounding the abduction and identify the factors that led to the security breach.
The commissioner said that the panel which would be inaugurated on Friday was also tasked to make recommendations to prevent a recurrence.
“The commission will examine the events leading to the kidnapping, assess the response of relevant authorities, and recommend measures to improve security and safeguard schools and communities across the state,” Oyelade said.
He further explained that the setting up of the panel was in line with the governor’s commitment to ensuring a thorough and independent investigation into the incident.