IBADAN – Confronting a tense security crisis following the mass abduction of primary and secondary schoolchildren and teachers in the Oriire Local Government Area, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has declared a sweeping statewide security clampdown.
The Governor on Friday signed Executive Order No. 002 of 2026, imposing an immediate, mandatory night-time curfew on all commercial motorcycle (Okada) operations across the entire state from 10:30 PM to 5:30 AM daily.
The order establishes aggressive legal teeth to enforce vehicle, motorcycle, and tricycle registration, directly targeting the stealth and mobility used by criminal syndicates to execute kidnappings.
Air Force Collaboration & Sky Surveillance
During a high-level briefing following a strategic meeting with a delegation from the Nigerian Air Force, Governor Makinde revealed a multi-layered aerial reconnaissance mission aimed at flushing out bandits from deep forest zones.
State-Owned Assets: Two newly purchased Diamond-42 Surveillance Aircraft funded by the Oyo State Government have officially arrived in Nigeria and are currently being assembled at the Air Force Base in Lagos.
Immediate Air Cover: To bridge the gap, the Nigerian Air Force has immediately deployed an active Diamond-42 surveillance plane to provide live, real-time intelligence over Oyo's vast forests and high-risk border boundaries.
Regulating Local Vigilantes to Prevent Abuse
Addressing the community response, the Governor clarified the scope of the previously signed Executive Order No. 001 of 2026. This legal framework strictly mandates the formal registration, tracking, and institutional monitoring of all local hunters, vigilantes, and community security networks.
Makinde firmly warned that the law will prevent criminals from embedding themselves within community defense groups and eliminate dangerous, unauthorized ethnic profiling.
A Plea for Calm Over Oriire School Captives
With families and the National Union of Teachers (NUT) facing immense anxiety more than 20 days after the school raids, Makinde appealed for patience, emphasizing that his administration's silent strategy should not be mistaken for abandonment.
"Every day they remain in captivity is a painful day for their families and all of us. The safe return of those affected remains the top priority. We are working around the clock, and we have not forgotten them."
The Governor noted that while joint military, police, and Amotekun forces are tracking the abductors, his administration remains open to structured lines of negotiation and dialogue if it guarantees the immediate, uninjured freedom of the children and their teachers.
Residents have been strongly urged to bypass panic and forward any actionable, fast-breaking intelligence directly to the state’s emergency operational hub using the toll-free shortcode 615.
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