Oyo APC Questions Makinde’s Surveillance Aircraft After Fresh Bandit Attack

The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has questioned the whereabouts and operational effectiveness of the state government’s surveillance aircraft following a reported bandit attack on an Operation Burst base in Oorelope Local Government Area.

The APC said the attack on Sunday along the Igbeti-Igboho Road raised questions about the deployment of the aircraft, which the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde reportedly acquired for security surveillance.

In a statement on Monday, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, said the attackers allegedly operated for more than an hour before leaving the area.

He questioned why the suspects were not detected or intercepted despite the reported location of a surveillance aircraft base station within the Igbeti axis.

Operation Burst is a joint security outfit involving personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigerian Army.

Sadare described the incident as an irony, arguing that a prolonged attack occurred in an area where the government had claimed to have deployed aerial surveillance capabilities.

According to him, the attackers allegedly carted away some items and set fire to the security post and a vehicle during the incident.

He, however, said no casualty was reportedly recorded.

The party also questioned the reported cost of the surveillance aircraft.

Sadare alleged that the state government spent about N7.8 billion on their procurement, arguing that cheaper technology could have delivered more effective surveillance.

“A good example is the N7.8 billion which he spent on the procurement of surveillance aircraft when he could have spent five per cent of the amount on cheaper technological equipment and facilities to achieve better results,” he said.

The APC spokesman also criticised Makinde over his opposition to some Federal Government economic policies, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira.

“On many occasions, Gov. Makinde has said that the removal of fuel subsidy and floatation of Naira by the Tinubu administration were designed to punish Nigerians and enrich the governors,” Sadare said.

He questioned whether the increased revenue available to the state government had translated into improved security and living conditions for residents.

Party demands explanation

Sadare said the state government had provided little information about the operational deployment of the surveillance aircraft since announcing their arrival.

“Since the day Gov. Makinde celebrated the purported delivery of the two aircraft, nothing has either been heard or felt about their deployment to survey the airspace in the state,” he said.

He argued that the reported attack in Igbeti, where the aircraft’s base station was allegedly located, made their operational status a matter requiring clarification.

“Sadly, the Igbeti where the base station for the aircraft was reportedly situated came under heavy attacks for more than an hour and there was no surveillance aircraft to track the attackers and possibly repel them,” Sadare said.

The APC called on the Oyo State Government to explain the whereabouts, deployment and operational functionality of the aircraft, particularly following the latest security incident.

The party said effective surveillance, intelligence gathering and rapid response were critical to protecting communities across the state and urged greater transparency in the use of resources allocated to security operations.