GENERAL BACKS MAKINDE'S CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL PROBE INTO ORIIRE SCHOOL ABDUCTION, SAYS COMMUNITIES MAY BE AIDING KIDNAPPERS

GENERAL BACKS MAKINDE'S CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL PROBE INTO ORIIRE SCHOOL ABDUCTION, SAYS COMMUNITIES MAY BE AIDING KIDNAPPERS

Retired two star  General, Ishola Williams has backed Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde's call for an independent international investigation into the abduction and eventual rescue of pupils and teachers kidnapped in Oriire Local Government Area of the state, describing the governor's request as consistent with precedents established during previous national security crises.

His comments followed Governor Seyi Makinde's call for a United Nations-backed investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Oriire school abduction and the military rescue operation that freed the pupils and teachers after spending 56 days in captivity.

Speaking on Friday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, the retired two star general argued that Makinde's position was neither unprecedented nor inappropriate, recalling that during the Chibok schoolgirls' abduction under former President Goodluck Jonathan's administration, international organisations were widely invited to scrutinise the situation.

According to him, criticism directed at Jonathan at the time, including calls for international involvement by members of the then-opposition, established a precedent that makes Makinde's current demand legitimate.

 “Makinde is right in making that call. And why is he right? everybody remember that during the time of former president Goodluck Jonathan when the Chibok girls were kidnapped, they were calling on everybody, international organizations and the rest. And the president was the head of that opposition party and he was criticizing Jonathan like hell. Now, what comes around, turns around. So, that's what's happening” he said. 

Williams maintained that the governor was merely following an established pattern.

"So, in that way, Makinde is not doing anything that is new. He's following a precedent." he added. 

However, he pointed out that, constitutionally, a state governor lacks the authority to formally invite the United Nations to investigate a security matter.

"Now, diplomatically, Makinde cannot call on the UN as a subnational entity of Nigeria. It's only the president, through the means of foreign affairs, that can tell the UN, I need your help. So, please come and help us."

Instead, he suggested that internationally recognised independent organisations would be better positioned to carry out such an investigation.

According to  Williams: "What I expected Makinde to do, even though he mentioned it, is to call like Amnesty International, for example, that is well known all over the world, for doing independent and thorough investigation of the sort of situation Oyo state found itself."

Beyond supporting the governor's call, Williams questioned what he described as significant intelligence failures that allowed armed kidnappers to abduct dozens of schoolchildren without resistance.

He argued that the incident exposed weaknesses within Oyo State's internal security structure, particularly at the grassroots level.

According to him, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Amotekun Corps, local intelligence networks and community leadership all have questions to answer over how such a large-scale operation occurred undetected.

"Is the Ministry of Home Affairs in Oyo state working, and the commissioner appointed by Makinde himself, is he competent? Is the intelligence department of Amotekun, is that department competent?" he asked.

Williams added that security officials and community leaders should be held accountable for failing to detect or prevent the mass abduction before it occurred and that accountability should extend beyond the kidnappers themselves.

"In normal circumstances, or in a serious country, the SSA to Makinde could have been sacked. The committe here, too, has to be punished, because that simple grassroots intelligence, that failed, for those kidnappers, to be able to ride into his crew, and just capture so many children and they get them into the bush How? Without Amotekun knowing? Without the village head knowing?” 

The retired general insisted that the abductors could not have operated successfully without local collaboration.

"So, this is ordinary kidnapping, you know, with a few ragtag people, with guns. But those ragtag people cannot operate without the support of members of that community." he stated. 

He also expressed scepticism over official accounts of the rescue operation, saying more details should be made public to enable security experts assess the operation and identify lessons that could improve responses to similar incidents elsewhere.

Williams urged security agencies to redirect greater attention to tackling insurgency in the North-East rather than deploying extensive resources to isolated kidnapping operations.

"The story they're telling us, which, in most cases, I do not believe, anyway, is that they have performed a wonderful, intelligent, operation. Let them Concentrate on North-East."

Reiterating his long-held position on security reforms, Williams renewed his advocacy for state policing and a decentralised public safety architecture, arguing that Nigeria's centralised policing model has become ineffective.

He criticised opposition to state police, insisting fears that governors could abuse such powers ignore the possibility of abuse at the federal level.

According to him, governors who are constitutionally regarded as chief security officers of their states should possess greater operational authority while receiving support from the Federal Government where necessary.

“I've always been saying…the military should pull out. The military should concentrate on northeast. That said now, we move the mobile police separate. We don't need a Nigerian police force. We need a criminal investigation agency. We need, at the federal level, federal criminal investigation and crime intelligence. That is the one that should have been involved with backing up Amotekun, in Oyo State. A federal crime intelligence and investigation agency”, he said. 

Williams also questioned the amount of manpower and resources deployed to secure the release of the Oriire victims, arguing that if similar intelligence and operational capacity were consistently applied in other conflict zones, particularly the North-East, Nigeria could make greater progress against insurgency.

“If they are using so much effort for the release of people, then you can imagine what they needed in the Northeast to be able to deal with the problem in the Northeast insurgent. And if the intelligence system has been working, like the one that they said the DSS have been bragging that they've been doing this, they've been doing that. Why can't they do the same thing in the North?”, he said. 

The retired general further argued that community leaders should be held accountable whenever criminal groups repeatedly operate within their jurisdictions.

According to him: “See, somebody needs to tell community heads, if this sort of thing happens in your community again, you are in trouble. No more jokes with the communities because some communities, and some villages must be making money especially in a place like Katsina State”