Governor of Oyo state , Seyi Makinde, has received the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government. …
Governor of Oyo state , Seyi Makinde, has received the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government.
Mr. Makinde received the report on from the Chairman of the Commission, Mojeed Owoade, at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Ibadan.
The governor who promised to study its recommendations and take appropriate action, said the abduction tested the state’s security architecture and acknowledged that the incident represented a failure that could not be overlooked despite previous security gains recorded by his administration.
Makinde said his administration had, since assuming office, operationalised the 615 toll-free emergency line, refurbished and expanded the state’s security control room and established a communication system linking the police, Amotekun Corps, Operation Burst and other relevant security agencies.
He, however, said the rescue of the victims should not be the only measure of success, stressing the need to determine what could have prevented the attack, shortened the period of captivity and improved the safety of children in schools.
“Rescue cannot be the only measure of success. We must ask: What could have prevented the attack? What could have shortened the ordeal? What will make children safer in their schools?” he said.
The governor said the commission was established to investigate how the attack occurred, the information available before and during the incident, the response of relevant institutions and whether there were intelligence, administrative or operational failures.
He added that the findings would guide decisions, the assignment of responsibilities and measures that could be monitored by the public.
Makinde also linked the lessons from the incident to his call for a “security reset” at the national level, arguing that security agencies and institutions must operate within a functional system that allows failures to be identified and addressed.
Earlier, Justice Owoade said the commission visited the crime scenes, inspected the affected schools and conducted public hearings in Ikoyi-Ile, Ogbomoso and Ibadan.
He said the commission heard from 72 witnesses, including victims, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, experts and other stakeholders.
According to him, the report contains recommendations for the Oyo State Government, local governments, joint Federal-State action and the Federal Government.
Owoade identified the review of the laws and management of forest reserves, particularly the Old Oyo National Park, as one of the major recommendations of the commission.
He said the review was necessary to strengthen security and improve the management of the forest reserve, which is under the control of the Federal Government.
The chairman thanked the governor for entrusting the commission with the assignment and said the report was aimed at strengthening preventive security measures through improved intelligence gathering and greater cooperation between security agencies and government institutions.
The abduction occurred on May 15, 2026, when pupils and teachers from schools in the Oriire area were taken into captivity. The victims were later rescued after spending 56 days in captivity.
