The All Progressives Congress in Oyo State has launched a sharp attack on Governor Seyi Makinde, holding him directly responsible for what it described as an alarming deterioration of security across the state.

The opposition party, speaking through its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, said the surge in kidnappings, killings, and violent crimes had exposed deep failures in the governor’s leadership.

The APC cited recent incidents, including the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in two communities in Oriire Local Government Area, as well as the kidnapping of two staff members of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria in Idi Ayunre, Oluyole Local Government Area, as glaring examples of the worsening situation.

The party expressed regret that Makinde, who is constitutionally regarded as the Chief Security Officer of the state, appeared to be deflecting blame onto the Federal Government rather than accepting responsibility for the security crisis on his watch. The APC accused him of substituting concrete action with what it called political grandstanding and lip service.

The opposition pointed to the procurement of surveillance aircraft worth nearly eight billion naira, alleging that nothing had been seen or heard of the equipment since July 2025, even as criminal elements continued to terrorise residents across the state.

The APC also accused the Makinde administration of empowering political thugs for partisan purposes, alleging that such actions had contributed to the deterioration of public safety. The party specifically alleged that the administration had equipped Mukaila Auxiliary and his loyalists with lethal weapons, ostensibly for political purposes rather than law enforcement.

Further criticism was directed at the treatment of personnel within the Oyo State Security Network Agency, known as the Amotekun Corps. The APC alleged that operatives recruited into the corps were among the worst treated by any state government, citing poor salaries, lack of insurance coverage, and the absence of retirement plans as evidence of the administration’s neglect of its own security machinery.

The APC also noted that the security situation in Oyo had become far worse compared to other states in the South-West, arguing that the difference in outcomes across the region was a direct reflection of each governor’s commitment or lack thereof to protecting lives and property.

Meanwhile, Governor Makinde has maintained that security remains one of the major pillars of his administration and would continue to receive priority attention. He also reassured the families of the abducted teachers and pupils in Oriire that efforts were ongoing to secure their safe return.The governor additionally used the occasion to call on the Federal Government to accelerate the establishment of state police, arguing that the current centralised policing structure was inadequate to address local security challenges.