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Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC) has blamed Governor Seyi Makinde for the rising wave of insecurity in the state, including recent cases of kidnapping, murder, and attacks by armed groups.
In a statement issued on Friday in Ibadan by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the APC said the situation in Oyo had worsened compared to other South-West states, attributing the development to what it described as poor governance and misplaced priorities.
The party accused Makinde of engaging in what it called “political distractions” rather than focusing on his constitutional responsibility as the state’s Chief Security Officer, adding that security should not be treated as a political tool.
It faulted the governor’s approach to security management, alleging that key stakeholders, including traditional rulers, were sidelined from security coordination efforts, while attention was allegedly placed on other expenditures it described as unnecessary.
The APC also claimed that significant funds were spent on security-related projects without visible results, alleging that aircraft procured for surveillance had not been effectively deployed, and questioned the impact of such investments on curbing criminal activities.
“We have said on several occasions that window dressing and populism cannot help in building and sustaining security architecture.
“The current administration started on a bad note in 2019, with the disengagement of some critical stakeholders from the joint security activities in the state and up till the present moment, the traditional rulers and other relevant institutions are being left out while priority was on the purchase of pleasure cars at exorbitant cost for some security agencies.
“He (Makinde) 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 same Makinde admiration equipped Mukaila Auxiliary and his army of political thugs with lethal weapons for the purpose of witch-hunting the opposition elements and residents but today, the whole world knows the results of this action,”the statement said.
The party further alleged that personnel of the Amotekun Corps were poorly treated and deployed without adequate welfare support, which it said had weakened the effectiveness of the regional security outfit.
Reacting to Makinde’s recent call for the establishment of state police, the APC accused him of inconsistency, saying he had previously opposed the idea and even described it as a waste of time.
It said the governor should take responsibility for the security situation in the state and ensure the safe release of abducted victims, rather than shifting blame to the federal government.
“Makinde keyed into the idea of the South-West Security Network, but available reports indicate that able-bodied men recruited into the Oyo Amotekun Corps were the worst treated by the government. No good salary, no welfare package, no insurance or retirement plans, while most of them (Amotekun Corps) are deployed to wrong places where they serve the interest of those in power and their friends only.
“Also annoying was the statement credited to Governor Makinde on Thursday regarding the need for the establishment of State Police. It is on record that the Oyo Governor was among those who frustrated the efforts when the idea was first conceived. 16 governors submitted a memorandum on proposed modalities for the creation of state police in March 2024 at the request of the Federal Government, but 20 delayed their submissions; it was only one governor (Makinde) who called the exercise a waste of time.
“Among those who did not submit their memorandum was Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo and a few days after that, he was on Channels TV where he was quoted as saying; “I did not submit any memorandum to the State Police. But my position is very clear about State Police. I see it, quite frankly, as a waste of our time.” Regrettably, Makinde now wants to shift the blame on the Presidency even he has never been denied the monthly payment of Security Votes which runs into billion of naira. Makinde should sit up and rescue all abductees immediately,”the statement added.
