There is no well-meaning Nigerian who is not relieved that the Oyo State kidnap saga ended happily despite the eight fatalities and the 56 agonising days it took to embrace the light at the end of what was, to all intents and purposes, a very dark chapter in Nigeria’s beleaguered history.
The mass abduction, which took place on May 15, when terrorists raided three schools in the Yawota and Ahoro-Esinele communities in Oriire local government, whisking away 39 pupils and six teachers, ended on July 10, when they were rescued by a combined team of the armed forces. Eight of the suspects were arrested while others were killed in an operation many agree demonstrates operational efficiency and improved inter-agency collaboration among the security agencies.
For 56 days, the country was on edge, particularly after one of the victims, Michael Oyedokun, a mathematics teacher, was gruesomely murdered and a graphic video of his execution released online. Nobody was sure what other fatal prank the terrorists had up their sleeve.
But in a country where politicians are the centre of gravity and where the sanctity of human life is desecrated on the altar of infantile, hypocritical politicking, all that matters is using the incident for political gain, which explains why Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde has become a victim of vicious attacks.
