IBADAN, NIGERIA — Prominent businessman Isaac Fayose has publicly called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest and question the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over his recent threats to destabilize Oyo State.
The public demand comes immediately after the brazen daylight kidnapping of the sister and twin sons of former Minister of Power Chief Adebayo Adelabu along the Challenge-Elewura axis in Ibadan, which occurred the exact week Governor Seyi Makinde was reportedly scheduled to formally announce his presidential candidacy.
The Accusation: Tracking the “Fire” Threat
Fayose pointed directly to a widely publicized political declaration made by Wike during a party dispute, where the FCT Minister warned opposition governors interfering in his political structure that he would instigate political and security crises in their respective states.
“Wike said and I quote, ‘I will put fire in Governor Seyi Makinde’s Oyo State,'” Fayose stated during a public review of the state’s security deterioration. “The very week Seyi Makinde was supposed to announce his presidential candidacy, this kidnap situation happened. When will the DSS invite Wike?”
The businessman argued that law enforcement agencies must investigate whether the sudden, highly coordinated security breaches hitting Oyo State—including a daring weapons heist at the Ogbomoso Immigration Office—are politically motivated operations aimed at neutralizing Makinde’s national political ambitions.
A Coordinated Security Crisis Hits Oyo
The timing of the escalating violence has raised serious questions among political analysts and opposition groups in the Southwest. Within a matter of days, the state has witnessed:
- High-Profile Targeting: The tactical interception and abduction of Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons during a routine morning school run in Ibadan.
- Weapon Procurement: The night raid on the Nigeria Immigration Service office along the Ogbomoso–Ilorin Motorway, where gunmen successfully overpowered guards to cart away standard-issue service rifles.
- Mass School Raids: Continuous school abductions that have triggered a nationwide strike by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and drawn heavy public curses against the federal administration from aggrieved mothers.
DSS Under Intense Pressure to Act
Fayose’s public query reflects a growing public sentiment that the federal government applies selective justice when dealing with security threats. Critics point out that while human rights activists like Omoyele Sowore face immediate surveillance for calling out administrative failures, ruling party officials enjoy absolute immunity despite making incendiary public statements.
The Oyo State Government has urged residents to remain calm while tactical police units and regional security outfits search for the abducted family members. However, political strategists warn that the failure of national intelligence agencies to question high-profile actors over explicit threats of state sabotage will completely destroy public trust in the neutrality of Nigeria’s security architecture.
