Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said his call on the United Nations to investigate the May 15 abduction of schoolchildren and their teachers in the Oriire Local Government Area was not to diminish the efforts of security agencies.

Forty-four teachers and pupils kidnapped in three schools in Yawota and Ahoro-Esiele in Oriire LGA were released on July 10 after 56 days in captivity.

The kidnappers released the victims following heavy pressure mounted by operatives of security agencies, including the army, police, State Security Service (SSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and others.

Two teachers as well as some security personnel, however, lost their lives during the incident.

Speaking on Friday in Ibadan at the inauguration of an eight-man judicial commission of inquiry into the abduction, Mr Makinde said accountability and reform would restore public confidence and help prevent a recurrence.

He maintained that the call was about “ensuring that every lesson is learnt, and every question that deserves an answer is answered.

“So it was for this reason that I called on the international community to support an independent examination of the circumstances surrounding the incident,” he said.

Mr Makinde added that government’s duty did not end with the victims’ rescue, “though rescue brings relief, but truth brings closure.

“This judicial commission of inquiry represents our commitment to that responsibility,” he said.

The governor explained that the assignment of the commission was to establish the facts, identify any institutional or operational lapses, and recommend measures that will strengthen the protection of schools and communities.

“And help to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again,” he said.

Mr Makinde charged all members of the commission to bring their decades of experience, integrity, and public service to bear on the assignment before them.

He also advised them to let their work “be guided only by the evidence, the law, and the public interest.

“The people of our state, and indeed Nigerians, expect nothing less than an impartial, credible process,” he said.

The governor, who gave the commission four weeks to complete the assignment, urged members to feel free to come back to him if they require additional time to ensure that “no stone is left unturned.”

He promised to provide every support required for the commission to carry out its assignment independently and professionally.

Mr Makinde also called on individuals, institutions, and relevant agencies to cooperate fully by making available any information that would assist the commission in arriving at the truth.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the inauguration, the chairman of the commission, retired Justice Mojeed
Owoade, pledged that the commission would carry out the assignment with all sense of responsibility.

Mr Owoade added that transparency and diligence to uncover the truth woul be the commission’s watchwords.

Other members of the commission are Prof. Jubril Ibrahim; Ayo Obe; Ngozi Onadeko; retired Maj. Gen. Sanusi Muazu; Mr Folorunso Osunrayi; and Olamide Tella as the commission’s secretary.

(NAN)