Oyebanji: Tinubu on phone with me every day till abducted pupils were released

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, says President Bola Tinubu was with him on the telephone everyday till the abducted school pupils in the state were released.

Oyebanji made the disclosure while receiving a delegation of the Yoruba Socio-Political group, Afenifere, who came on a condolence visit to his office in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.

The Afenifere delegation, led by the Ondo State Chairman of the group, Chief Korede Duyile, were sent by the National Leader of Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, to commiserate with the government and people of Ekiti State over the killing of two traditional rulers and abduction of some pupils of a private school and their teachers last week. The pupils and their teachers have since regained freedom from the kidnappers.

Governor Oyebanji, who described the gruesome killing of the two traditional rulers as “sacrilegious and an affront to Ekiti people and the Yoruba race”, assured that the perpetrators would not go unpunished.

He also described the kidnapping of the school pupils and their teachers as a dangerous dimension, hence the need to mobilize security operatives to rescue the abducted pupils.

Oyebanji said he remained grateful to Tinubu for staying on top of the situation, a development, which he said motivated everyone involved to put in their best in rescuing the victims.

“It will be a mark of ingratitude on my part if I don’t say this here today, Mr. President really tried, from the minute it happened till the last day the children were released, the President was talking to me on daily basis, giving appropriate directives on the way out. And I want Afenifere to thank him”, he said.

Governor Oyebanji added that despite the release of the kidnapped victims, security agencies have continued the search for the perpetrators of the heinous crimes and bring them to justice.

This, he said, was necessary to put an end to the dastardly acts.

The governor added that traditional rulers in Ekiti State have taken it upon themselves to defend their citizens “because, the question is if this happened to two Obas, then what the fate of the subjects is. So, they are putting in place structures to defend their people.”

The Afenifere leaders, who lamented the killing of the monarchs and the abduction of pupils and teachers, called for the restructuring of the country to tackle security and other challenges.

The Afenifere leaders affirmed the need to strengthen the South West Security Network codenamed Amotekun with necessary ammunition that would make the officers effective in tackling all forms of security infiltration into the region.

They also called for an urgent review of the Constitution which they opined had become obsolete following the realities of the present situation.