Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has sparked public debate after defending the Federal Government’s response to the recent abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State, arguing that it is neither realistic nor logistically possible for federal authorities to secure every school in the country.

In a statement shared on X on Saturday, Omokri was reacting to the abduction of schoolchildren in Ogbomosho, Oyo State. He framed the incident within broader concerns about insecurity in the Sahel region while urging a shift away from emotionally driven criticism of the federal government.

He noted that Nigeria has an estimated 300,000 schools, while the total number of soldiers falls below that figure, making it impossible for federal forces alone to protect every school nationwide.

The Oyo incident is part of a wider wave of attacks on educational institutions. At least 82 schoolchildren were abducted between May 13 and 15 during separate attacks in two states, 42 pupils were kidnapped in Borno State, while another 40 schoolchildren were abducted on May 15 after gunmen invaded communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. During the Oyo attack, the gunmen also abducted mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun alongside the pupils and teachers.

Omokri used the moment to push for a structural overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture. He argued that the establishment of state police remains the most effective way to secure schools and communities nationwide, citing Lagos State as a model. He referenced the community-based security structure introduced in Lagos and later legalised in 2016, which he said laid the foundation for effective grassroots policing and intelligence gathering, helping to make Lagos one of Nigeria’s safest states.

On the question of funding, Omokri argued that increased federal allocations to states and local governments have strengthened their capacity to handle such responsibilities, insisting that funding constraints should no longer serve as an excuse. 

He also pushed back against the tendency to direct national anger at the presidency. He argued that attacks on the president, his administration, and supporters over incidents like the Ogbomosho abduction only deepen mistrust in society and play into the hands of those who benefit from national division. He further maintained that terrorism thrives on public discord, where citizens turn against one another instead of focusing on practical solutions to insecurity.

On community responsibility, Omokri stressed that insecurity often persists where there is insufficient local cooperation, noting that security agencies rely heavily on community intelligence to prevent and respond to threats. He urged residents to report suspicious activities promptly through emergency hotlines, adding that timely information sharing remains critical to preventing attacks. 

The Federal Government, for its part, has faced criticism over its handling of the crisis. The Federal Ministry of Education condemned the abductions nearly two weeks after the incidents occurred, with Minister Tunji Alausa describing the attacks as “tragic and unacceptable” and reaffirming the administration’s commitment to strengthening school security through improved surveillance, emergency response systems, and the implementation of the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence Free Schools. 

Civil society groups have also raised concerns over the use of security funds by governments, noting that despite huge sums allocated yearly as security votes at the federal and state levels, insecurity continues to escalate across the country.

The abductions have intensified a long-standing national conversation about the decentralisation of policing and the limits of federal authority in addressing localised security threats across Nigeria’s vast and diverse territory.