- Forget UN, Leave Oyo Kidnap Probe To Nigerian Authorities – Senate Tells Makinde
- Lawmakers described the incident as an internal security matter.
- Senate urged Nigerian authorities to handle the investigation.
The Nigerian Senate has rejected Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s call for the United Nations (UN) and other international organisations to investigate the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
The upper chamber maintained that the incident is an internal security matter that should be investigated by relevant Nigerian authorities.
The Senate’s position follows Governor Makinde’s appeal on Monday for the United Nations and international human rights organisations to probe the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the pupils and teachers.
Makinde made the call during a statewide broadcast shortly after receiving the rescued victims at the Governor’s Office in Ibadan.
The pupils and teachers were abducted on May 15 and spent several weeks in captivity before they were rescued.
During Tuesday’s plenary, the Senate resolved that the governor should refrain from escalating Nigeria’s internal security issues to the international community.
The resolution followed a point of order raised by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who accused the Oyo State governor of politicising the country’s security challenges.
Oshiomhole argued that Makinde’s appeal for a United Nations-backed investigation could undermine the efforts of Nigeria’s security agencies and compromise the country’s sovereignty.
Following deliberations, the Senate urged the Oyo State governor to allow the appropriate national security and law enforcement agencies to investigate the abduction and the circumstances surrounding the victims’ prolonged captivity.
The lawmakers insisted that the matter should be handled through Nigeria’s established security and investigative institutions.
