The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo State has questioned the whereabouts and operational effectiveness of the surveillance aircraft acquired by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde, following the reported attack by suspected bandits on an Operation Burst base in Oorelope Local Government Area.
The party said the attack, which occurred on Sunday along the Igbeti-Igboho Road, raised serious questions about the deployment and functionality of the two aircraft the state government said it received for security surveillance operations.
The suspected attackers reportedly operated for more than an hour before leaving the area, despite the reported location of a base station for the surveillance aircraft 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.
In a statement issued on Monday by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the Oyo APC described the incident as an irony, saying the prolonged operation by the attackers occurred in an area where the government had reportedly deployed aerial surveillance capability.
The party challenged Governor Makinde to explain why the attackers were allegedly able to operate for such a long period without being detected or intercepted, despite the resources committed to surveillance and security operations.
Sadare also criticised the governor over his opposition to some economic policies of the Federal Government, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira.
According to him, Makinde had repeatedly argued that the policies introduced by the administration of President Bola Tinubu were designed to impose hardship on Nigerians while enriching state governors.
“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 the impact of the state government’s increased revenue on the living conditions of residents, accusing the administration of failing to utilise available resources effectively.
The APC spokesman also alleged that the state government spent about N7.8 billion on the procurement of surveillance aircraft, arguing that cheaper technological equipment could have been deployed to achieve effective security surveillance.
“A good example is the N7.8billion 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.
On the attack, Sadare alleged that the gunmen targeted the Operation Burst base along the Igbeti-Igboho Road and operated for more than one hour.
He further alleged that the attackers carted away some important items and set fire to the security post and a vehicle during the incident.
He, however, said no casualty was reportedly recorded.
Sadare also questioned the deployment of the surveillance aircraft, saying the state government had not provided sufficient information about their operational activities 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 added that the reported attack in the Igbeti area, where the base station for the aircraft was allegedly located, made the operational status of the aircraft 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 state government to explain the whereabouts, deployment and operational functionality of the surveillance aircraft, particularly in the wake of the latest security incident.
The party said effective surveillance, intelligence gathering and rapid response remained critical to protecting communities across Oyo State, urging the government to provide greater transparency on the use of resources allocated to security operations.