The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly criticized Governor Seyi Makinde, blaming his administration for a recent surge in kidnappings, violent attacks, and general insecurity across the state.
In a statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the opposition accused the governor of prioritizing “political showmanship and lip service” over concrete efforts to secure lives and property.
The APC pointed to kidnappings in Oriire LGA and at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) as evidence of failing security.
The party expressed regret that Governor Makinde, who is constitutionally regarded as the Chief Security Officer of the state, failed to take decisive steps to curb insecurity, alleging that his administration had shifted blame to the Federal Government while neglecting its responsibilities.
“We have said on several occasions that window dressing and populism cannot help in the 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 N8billions 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.
“Makinde keyed into the idea of South-West Security Network but available reports indicate that able-bodied men recruited into 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.”
The party added, “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 people who frustrated the efforts when it 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 but 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 though he has never been denied the monthly payment of Security Votes which runs into billions of naira. Makinde should sit up and rescue all abductees immediately.”
