UN Probe Into Mass Abduction: Oyo Assembly Backs Makinde

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• Amid Senate’s rejection

The Oyo State House of Assembly, South West Nigeria, has thrown its weight behind Governor Seyi Makinde’s call for an independent international investigation into the abduction of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of the state, insisting that such a probe would strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture rather than undermine it.

The Assembly’s position comes hours after the Nigerian Senate cautioned the governor on Tuesday against seeking the involvement of the United Nations, arguing that the incident was a domestic security matter that should be handled within Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Office of the Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin, the Assembly congratulated the state government and residents on the successful rescue of the abducted victims, but maintained that the circumstances surrounding the mass abduction warranted an independent investigation.

It said repeated attacks on schools across Nigeria had become a disturbing trend that required fresh approaches beyond conventional security responses.

“Mass abduction of schoolchildren has become a disturbing pattern in Nigeria. If our collective efforts as a country have not been sufficient to end this menace, it is only appropriate to invite the relevant agency of the United Nations to investigate the unusual circumstances surrounding the Oyo State case and make recommendations that will help prevent a recurrence. Enough is enough,” the statement said.

It was earlier reported that Governor Makinde, in a statewide broadcast on Monday after receiving the rescued pupils and teachers at the Government House, Ibadan, called on the United Nations and international human rights organisations to conduct an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the abduction.

The governor argued that the incident was sufficiently grave and unusual to require external scrutiny, saying the findings could help prevent similar attacks on schools.

However, during plenary on Tuesday, the Nigerian Senate rejected the proposal and urged the governor to allow Nigerian authorities to conclude investigations, warning against internationalising what lawmakers described as an internal security challenge.