By LANRE OGUNDIPE
The recent lamentation by Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, that constitutional constraints have rendered him powerless to effectively tackle the rising wave of kidnappings and abductions in Oyo State deserves a measured but firm response.
While no informed observer will deny that Nigeria’s security architecture vests operational control of the Police and other security agencies in the Federal Government, it is equally important to state that constitutional limitations cannot become a perpetual alibi for governance failures.
Governor Makinde cannot, on the one hand, exercise extensive authority over security spending, deploy billions of naira in security votes, procure surveillance aircraft, provide vehicles and logistics to security agencies, establish security structures, regulate vigilante groups through executive orders, and fund numerous security initiatives, only to turn around and claim helplessness when insecurity escalates.
The people of Oyo State deserve more than explanations. They deserve results.
The contradiction is glaring. If the Governor possesses sufficient authority to commit enormous public resources to security-related interventions without seeking constitutional amendments, then the same constitutional arrangement cannot suddenly become the sole obstacle whenever criminal elements strike. If his hands were not tied in the procurement of surveillance aircraft, security gadgets, patrol vehicles, intelligence infrastructure, and other security interventions, it becomes difficult to persuade citizens that those same hands are now completely tied when it comes to securing lives and property.
Even more disturbing is the fact that when debates surrounding state police and broader constitutional reforms gained national attention, many state governors, including those who now complain about federal control, did not demonstrate the urgency and commitment required to drive meaningful reforms. The question therefore arises: where was this passion when opportunities existed to vigorously champion structural changes capable of addressing these concerns?
Similarly, the controversy surrounding local government autonomy exposed a troubling contradiction within Nigeria’s political leadership. Many governors have consistently demanded greater devolution of powers from Abuja while resisting similar decentralisation within their own states. One cannot convincingly advocate autonomy at one level and oppose it at another without inviting questions about consistency and commitment to democratic principles.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the current situation is that while government officials debate constitutional limitations and jurisdictional boundaries, innocent schoolchildren, teachers, farmers, and ordinary citizens continue to live under the shadow of fear and uncertainty. The recent abductions have inflicted untold emotional and psychological trauma on families whose only desire is to see their loved ones return home safely.
The tragedy before us is neither peculiar to Oyo State nor confined to Governor Makinde. It is a growing regional and national emergency demanding collective outrage and urgent action from all levels of government.
At the last count, over thirty children and other victims were reportedly abducted in Oyo State under the watch of Governor Makinde. In neighbouring Ekiti State under Governor Biodun Oyebanji, about fifteen persons have reportedly fallen into the hands of kidnappers. In Kwara State under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, another fifteen persons were similarly reported abducted.
These are not mere statistics. Behind every number is a frightened child, a grieving parent, a devastated family, and a traumatised community. The statistics continue to grow while citizens increasingly feel abandoned before the forces of evil.
Indeed, our children are in the forests.
Anytime Nigerians bow their heads in prayer today and in the days ahead, they should remember those innocent children and victims still languishing in captivity. While political leaders debate constitutional powers and institutional limitations, families across these states spend sleepless nights wondering whether their loved ones will ever return alive.
For the children of peasant farmers, artisans, traders, and struggling families who now find themselves at the mercy of kidnappers, discussions about constitutional constraints offer little comfort. Their parents are not interested in legal technicalities, constitutional interpretations, or political explanations. They seek protection, reassurance, decisive action, and the safe return of their loved ones.
Our forebears taught us that evil rarely thrives alone. Criminality of this magnitude does not flourish without networks of collaborators, informants, enablers, and beneficiaries. This reality makes the challenge before government even more compelling and reinforces the need for intelligence-driven responses, accountability, vigilance, and decisive leadership.
To such families, it would appear insensitive for those entrusted with public authority to focus more on explaining limitations than demonstrating solutions. At a time when innocent children remain in captivity and entire communities live in fear, leadership demands urgency, empathy, visibility, courage, and unwavering commitment. The moment calls for action, not lamentation.
This is why public office holders must be careful not to create the impression that constitutional limitations have become a convenient refuge whenever security challenges arise. Citizens expect their leaders to exhaust every available avenue, deploy every lawful resource, and mobilise every institutional leverage in defence of lives and property before resorting to declarations of helplessness.
The security crisis confronting Oyo State and other parts of the country is too grave for political rhetoric. Communities are living in fear. Farmers are abandoning their farmlands. Parents are anxious about the safety of their children. Businesses are becoming increasingly vulnerable. These realities demand leadership, innovation, coordination, transparency, and accountability.
No governor should seek sympathy merely because the Constitution is imperfect. Leadership is tested by the ability to maximise available powers, resources, influence, and institutions in the service of the people.
We therefore urge Governor Makinde to desist from further attempts to place the burden of responsibility solely on constitutional arrangements and instead provide a comprehensive account of how security votes, security infrastructure investments, surveillance assets, intelligence initiatives, and inter-agency collaborations have been deployed to confront the menace of kidnapping and violent crime in Oyo State.
The citizens of Oyo State are not interested in a contest of excuses between constitutional provisions and political office holders. They seek security, protection, and peace of mind. The lives and safety of innocent citizens must never become casualties of political calculations, jurisdictional disputes, or constitutional blame games.
History is often kinder to leaders who confront challenges with courage and results than to those who merely explain why solutions are difficult.
May God heal our land, comfort afflicted families, expose the collaborators of evil, and restore peace and security to our communities or Constitutional blame games.
At moments such as this, what is required is not lamentation, but leadership.
*Ogundipe is former President, Nigeria and Africa Union of Journalists and writes from Abuja.
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