The Presidency has criticised Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde over his call for a United Nations-led investigation into the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area, describing the demand as unnecessary and politically driven.

Speaking on Monday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Federal Government had no objection to an international inquiry if the governor believed there were unresolved questions surrounding the incident.

“The governor has just expressed his opinion that the UN should probe this incident. Our doors are open. Let the UN come if he thinks there is more to it than what our military has explained,” Onanuga said.

However, the presidential spokesman questioned the basis of Makinde’s request, insisting that no security agency would intentionally allow schoolchildren to remain in captivity for 56 days.

“Look at those kids. Some of them are just about four or six years old. Will anyone want to deliberately subject them to the trauma they went through for 56 days?” he said.

Onanuga noted that the operation to rescue the victims came at a significant cost, revealing that several security operatives, including soldiers and members of the Western Nigeria Security Network (Amotekun), lost their lives during the mission. He also disclosed that one of the abducted teachers was killed while in captivity, describing any suggestion that the ordeal was deliberately orchestrated as "unthinkable."

He further accused Governor Makinde, whom he described as a presidential aspirant, of allowing politics to influence his stance.

“It is just unfortunate that Mr Makinde, maybe because of politics, because he is a presidential candidate now, doesn’t have any trust in our own institutions and is now calling on an external body to come and investigate,” Onanuga stated.

The presidential aide dismissed the governor’s demand as "absolutely unnecessary," alleging that Makinde was attempting to exploit the incident for political advantage.

“The man is just playing politics, and it is the politics of the bizarre. He wants to weaponise anything available, including dredging up a strange conspiracy theory,” he added.

Governor Makinde had earlier made the call while receiving the 45 rescued pupils and teachers formally handed over to the Oyo State Government by the Federal Government after spending 56 days in captivity.

The governor argued that the circumstances surrounding the abduction and subsequent rescue warranted independent international scrutiny.

“I therefore, with a full sense of responsibility as the Executive Governor of Oyo State, call on the appropriate international human rights and accountability mechanisms, including those within the United Nations system, to closely examine the facts surrounding this abduction and the circumstances of its resolution,” Makinde said.

He maintained that his request was not aimed at discrediting Nigerian institutions but at strengthening public trust through transparency and accountability.

According to Makinde, Nigerians deserve a comprehensive account of the incident, including whether there were institutional failures, negligence or collusion, as well as measures needed to prevent similar attacks on schools in the future.

“This is not about politics. It is about justice for the victims, reassurance for our people, and restoring public confidence that every Nigerian child can go to school without fear,” the governor said.