A retired two star general, Ishola Williams, has backed 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 request was consistent with precedents established during previous national security crises.
Williams spoke on Friday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, Ogun State, while reacting to Makinde’s appeal for a United Nations backed investigation into the circumstances surrounding the abduction and subsequent rescue of the victims after 56 days in captivity.
The retired military officer argued that the governor’s demand was neither unprecedented nor inappropriate, recalling that international organisations were invited to scrutinise the Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said, “Makinde is right in making that call. During the time of former President Goodluck Jonathan when the Chibok girls were kidnapped, international organisations were invited and there were widespread calls for foreign involvement. Those who criticised Jonathan then cannot fault Makinde for making a similar request now.”
Williams added, “Makinde is not doing anything that is new. He is simply following an established precedent.”
However, he noted that, constitutionally, a state governor lacked the authority to formally invite the United Nations to investigate a security matter.
He explained, “Diplomatically, Makinde cannot call on the UN as a subnational entity. Only the President, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, can formally request assistance from the United Nations.”
Instead, he urged the governor to engage globally recognised independent organisations.
“What I expected Makinde to do is invite organisations like Amnesty International, which is respected worldwide for conducting independent and thorough investigations into situations like this,” he said.
Williams also questioned the intelligence failures that allowed armed kidnappers to invade a school, abduct scores of pupils and teachers, and move them into the bush without being intercepted.
He queried the effectiveness of Oyo State’s Ministry of Home Affairs, the intelligence unit of the Amotekun Corps and community based intelligence structures.
He said, “Is the Ministry of Home Affairs in Oyo State working? Is the commissioner competent? Is the intelligence department of Amotekun competent?”
The retired general insisted that those responsible for grassroots security should be held accountable for the security breach.
“In a serious country, the Senior Special Assistant on Security could have been sacked. Community leaders should also be sanctioned because such a large scale operation should not have happened without someone noticing,” he stated.
Williams further alleged that the kidnappers could not have carried out the operation without support from people within the affected communities.
He said, “Those ragtag people cannot operate without the support of members of that community.”
He also expressed doubts over the official account of the rescue operation, saying more details should be released to enable security experts assess the operation and draw lessons for future responses.
“The story they are telling us is that they carried out a brilliant intelligence operation. Let them release more details and concentrate greater effort on tackling insurgency in the North East,” he said.
Reiterating his longstanding position on security reforms, Williams renewed his call for state policing and a decentralised security structure.
He argued that governors, who are constitutionally recognised as chief security officers of their states, should be given greater operational control while the Federal Government focuses on intelligence and major criminal investigations.
“I’ve always maintained that the military should concentrate on the North East. We need state police and a federal criminal investigation and intelligence agency that will support state security outfits like Amotekun,” he said.
Williams also maintained that traditional rulers and community leaders should be held accountable whenever criminal groups repeatedly operated within their jurisdictions.
He said, “Some communities and villages must be aiding these criminals. Community heads should know that if this happens again in their areas, they will be held responsible. There should be no more excuses.”
