Retired Major General Ishola Williams has endorsed 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, saying the governor’s position is consistent with precedents set during previous national security crises.
Williams made the remarks on Friday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State. He argued that Makinde’s request was neither unprecedented nor inappropriate, recalling that international organisations were invited to scrutinise the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to the retired general, those who criticised Jonathan at the time, including members of the then-opposition, had established a precedent that made Makinde’s current demand legitimate.
“Makinde is right in making that call. During the Chibok girls’ abduction, everyone was calling on international organisations to intervene. So, in that way, Makinde is not doing anything new; he’s following a precedent,” Williams said.
He, however, noted that a state governor lacks the constitutional authority to formally invite the United Nations to investigate a security matter, explaining that such a request must come through the Federal Government.
Instead, Williams suggested that reputable international organisations such as Amnesty International would be better placed to conduct an independent investigation into the incident.
The retired military officer also questioned the intelligence failures that allowed armed kidnappers to abduct dozens of schoolchildren without resistance, describing the incident as evidence of weaknesses in Oyo State’s grassroots security structure.
He said the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Amotekun Corps, local intelligence networks and community leaders all had questions to answer over how the kidnappers carried out the operation undetected.
Williams maintained that security officials and community leaders should be held accountable for failing to prevent the attack, arguing that the abductors could not have succeeded without local collaboration.
“Those kidnappers could not have operated without the support of members of that community,” he said.
He also expressed scepticism over the official account of the rescue operation, calling for more details to be made public to enable security experts assess the operation and draw lessons for future responses.
Williams renewed his long-standing advocacy for state policing and a decentralised security architecture, arguing that Nigeria’s centralised policing system has become ineffective.
He urged the military to concentrate on tackling insurgency in the North-East while state security outfits and specialised federal investigative agencies handle internal security challenges across the country.
The retired general further called for greater accountability among community leaders, insisting that they should face consequences whenever criminal groups repeatedly operate within their jurisdictions.
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