The Allied Peoples Movement says the fierce reaction from All Progressives Congress leaders, including senior government officials and senators, to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s call for an international investigation into the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in his state raises questions about complicity in high places.
In a statement from National Publicity Secretary Abubakar Yusuf, the APM argued that only those unsettled by guilt and fear of scrutiny would react with panic and irrationality to a genuine push for truth, insisting Makinde’s call for international probe does not undermine Nigerian sovereignty as APC leaders claim, but actually reinforces it by strengthening collaboration with international partners against terrorism, a recognised crime against humanity. The party quoted Makinde’s own words directly: the circumstances surrounding this incident are sufficiently grave and unusual to warrant independent scrutiny beyond our domestic institutions, I therefore, with a full sense of responsibility as the Executive Governor of Oyo State, call on the appropriate international human rights organisations and accountability mechanisms, including those within the United Nations system, to closely examine the facts surrounding this abduction and the circumstances of its resolution, such scrutiny is not intended to undermine our institutions, rather, it is intended to reinforce confidence, ensure that the truth is established, and that every person found to bear responsibility, regardless of office, influence, or affiliation, is held accountable.
The APM argued such calls for external involvement are nothing new in Nigeria’s counter terrorism cooperation, recalling that President Tinubu himself has repeatedly called for international collaboration on aid, intelligence gathering and sharing at forums including the UN General Assembly, and specifically met with FBI officials in June 2024 to request similar cooperation. Nigerians now wonder why APC leaders, if indeed they have nothing to hide, will suddenly become frenetic, agitated and sleepless because Governor Makinde is demanding for the truth, the statement said, a demand which is resonating with all Nigerians of good consciences across the country, adding pointedly that perhaps APC leaders have something to address regarding the party’s reported historical connections to bandits, referencing an earlier confession by a former APC leader that the party imported terrorist elements from neighbouring countries as political mercenaries ahead of the 2015 general election. Instead of their unwarranted attack on Governor Makinde for seeking the truth, the statement said, Nigerians expected leaders like Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume to be on the vanguard of the quest for truth.
