Makinde’s ₦7.7bn Aircraft Row Deepens in Oyo Security Crisis

Makinde’s N7.7bn Aircraft Row Deepens in Oyo Security Crisis

Governor Seyi Makinde’s explanation that Oyo’s ₦7.7bn surveillance aircraft are still being assembled in Lagos has only deepened the scrutiny around a security project unveiled last year, especially as the Oriire attack, the Bodija compensation controversy and fresh questions over public accountability pile pressure on his administration. Oyo authorities say the aircraft are genuine surveillance…

Atlantic Post

May 20, 2026

3–5 minutes

Bodija Explosion, Oriire Attack, Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, Surveillance Aircraft

IBADAN, Nigeria — Governor Seyi Makinde’s latest explanation on Oyo State’s surveillance aircraft has turned a security procurement story into a fresh political flashpoint, with critics now pressing harder on why the equipment is still undergoing assembly in Lagos nearly a year after approval.

The controversy sits at the intersection of insecurity, public accountability and political messaging, especially after the recent attack in Oriire Local Government Area forced the administration back onto the defensive.

The paper trail shows that the project is not imaginary. Oyo State first announced on 9 July 2025 that it had approved two surveillance aircraft to tackle kidnapping, banditry and illegal mining.

The state said the aircraft were DA 42 MNG Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance platforms, and the procurement cost was put at about ₦7.763bn.

At the time, the government said the aircraft would strengthen Amotekun and other security agencies across Oyo’s vast terrain and border corridors.

That official position is important because it directly answers the allegation that the purchase was merely a “drone” or some undefined gadget.

The state and federal information outlets both described the acquisition as two surveillance aircraft, not a toy or an unverified device.

The Governor’s office has also maintained that the aircraft are meant to support anti-banditry work across vulnerable border communities, particularly in the Oyo-Kwara axis and along routes linked to the Republic of Benin.

The latest clarification came after the Oyo governor publicly addressed the ongoing school attack crisis in the state. In that briefing, Makinde said the aircraft had “arrived in the country” and were being reassembled at the Nigerian Air Force hangar in Lagos.

He added that the manufacturers from China arrived “about three days ago” and would need “roughly” two weeks to finish the work, after which the aircraft should be operational by the end of June.

He also said interested members of the public could visit the Nigerian Air Force base in Lagos to inspect the aircraft and the ongoing work.

That explanation matters because it narrows the central dispute. The aircraft are not sitting hidden in a warehouse, but they are also not yet in active service.

For critics, that gap is enough to question why a security asset bought months earlier is still not flying when Oyo has just been hit by deadly attacks and abductions.

For the government, the answer is that final assembly and testing are still under way, and the end of June is now the public timeline.

The broader security backdrop is grim. Reports from the Oriire attack show that armed assailants stormed schools in the area, abducted pupils and teachers, and left at least one person dead, with the state confirming that rescue operations remain ongoing.

The Oyo APC has used the incident to attack Makinde’s handling of security, accusing his administration of failing to protect lives and property. That criticism has only intensified the pressure on the governor to explain why a flagship security purchase is still not fully deployed.

The aircraft row is also colliding with a separate political headache over the Bodija explosion intervention fund.

Oyo State says the Federal Government’s ₦30bn release remains untouched in a bank account, because the remaining ₦20bn of the approved ₦50bn has not been released.

The state also says it has already spent ₦24.6bn of its own money on reconstruction and compensation.

Former Ekiti governor Ayodele Fayose, however, has accused Makinde of keeping the money without publicly accounting for it, and the Oyo APC has demanded transparency over the entire arrangement.

Then there is the political burden of Makinde’s recent “Operation Wetie” remark. In April, he invoked the old Western Region crisis at an opposition summit in Ibadan, warning that those pursuing one-party domination should remember that “Operation Wetie started from here”.

A PDP faction later defended the governor, saying he was issuing a historical warning rather than a call to violence. Still, the episode has deepened the perception that Makinde is now fighting on two fronts at once: insecurity at home and political controversy around his language.

In plain terms, the aircraft story now carries three tests for Makinde. First, whether the promised end-of-June operational deadline is actually met.

Second, whether the public gets a clear breakdown of the procurement, assembly and deployment process.

Third, whether the administration can restore confidence after the Oriire tragedy, the Bodija fund row and the “Operation Wetie” uproar have combined to make every security and governance claim a target.

The governor has now put a date on the aircraft’s expected launch; what remains is delivery, not rhetoric.