Oyo Raises Alarm over Kidnappings

The Oyo State Government has expressed concern over a series of kidnapping incidents involving residents of the state, questioning whether the attacks are part of a coordinated attempt to target the state.

The Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, raised the concern in a statement issued on Monday and made available to journalists in Ibadan.

His comments followed the reported abduction of 18 Oyo students who were travelling home from Sokoto State at the weekend.

Oyelade said the state had recorded three unusual kidnapping incidents within four months, prompting questions about whether Oyo was being deliberately targeted.

He questioned whether the incidents amounted to an organised siege or were intended to distract attention from other issues affecting the state.

“Are we being targeted? Are we under organised siege? Are these uncommon decoys to distract us? Is this a political attack targeting scholarship and conviction?” Oyelade asked. 

The commissioner recalled that on May 15, students and teachers from Oriire Local Government were abducted and held for 56 days under what he described as harrowing conditions.

Following that incident, Governor Seyi Makinde established a Judicial Panel of Inquiry on July 31, headed by Justice (Prof.) Mojeed. The panel submitted its report last week, according to Oyelade.

He said the decision to establish the panel had generated questions at the time, but noted that two further kidnapping incidents had occurred since the report was submitted.

“Ever since the submission of the report, two serial kidnapping attacks have been foisted on Oyo State. And we ask: Is this a coincidence? If it is, it is one too many,” he said.

Oyelade questioned whether the timing of the latest attacks was merely coincidental, saying the recurrence of such incidents was becoming too frequent to ignore.

He stressed that Oyo residents were an important part of Nigeria and deserved to know who was behind attempts to restrict their access to education, scholarship and political participation.

The commissioner said the state government remained concerned about the safety and freedom of its citizens as it sought answers to the recent incidents.

“Oyo State citizens are an integral part of Nigeria and deserve to know those who are attempting to stifle our liberty to knowledge, scholarship and political liberty,” the commissioner said.