● Lanre Ogundipe: “30+ children abducted in Oyo. Security votes, aircraft bought, but hands now tied? Citizens want results, not lectures”
Former Nigeria Union of Journalists President Lanre Ogundipe has fired a blistering rebuke at Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, accusing him of using constitutional constraints as an “alibi for governance failures” amid rising kidnappings.
In a press statement released Monday, Ogundipe said Makinde’s lament that federal control of police leaves him “powerless” contradicts his extensive security spending and authority.
“Governor Makinde cannot exercise authority over security votes, deploy billions in security spending, procure surveillance aircraft, provide vehicles and logistics, establish security structures, regulate vigilantes… then claim helplessness when insecurity escalates,” Ogundipe stated.
“The people of Oyo State deserve more than explanations. They deserve results.”
Ogundipe argued: If Makinde’s hands weren’t tied buying aircraft, gadgets, and patrol vehicles, “those same hands cannot be completely tied when it comes to securing lives and property.”
The statement framed Oyo’s crisis as part of a broader Southwest/North Central emergency:
1. Oyo State: 30+ children and victims abducted under Makinde
2. Ekiti State: ∼15 persons kidnapped under Gov. Biodun Oyebanji
3. Kwara State: ∼15 persons abducted under Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq
“These are not mere statistics. Behind every number is a frightened child, a grieving parent, a devastated family… Indeed, our children are in the forests,” Ogundipe wrote.
The former AU Journalists boss slammed governors who now cry about federal control but showed no urgency when state police and constitutional reform debates raged nationally. He also called out governors demanding autonomy from Abuja while resisting local government autonomy in their own states.
“One cannot convincingly advocate autonomy at one level and oppose it at another,” he said.
Ogundipe said families of peasant farmers, traders, and artisans don’t care about legal technicalities. “They seek protection, reassurance, decisive action, and the safe return of their loved ones.”
He urged Makinde to give a “comprehensive account” of how security votes, surveillance assets, and intelligence initiatives have been deployed against kidnappers instead of blaming the Constitution.
“No governor should seek sympathy merely because the Constitution is imperfect. Leadership is tested by the ability to maximise available powers, resources, influence, and institutions in service of the people.”
He concluded: “At moments such as this, what is required is not lamentation, but leadership.”
