Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Tuesday declared that he is prepared to make any sacrifice, including risking his own life, to secure the release of pupils and teachers abducted by gunmen in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.

The governor made the declaration while addressing a group of peaceful protesters led by activist and social commentator, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), at his Ikolaba residence in Ibadan.

Makinde, who acknowledged the concerns raised by the protesters over the continued captivity of the victims, said his administration was deploying every available resource to ensure their safe return, while maintaining that ongoing security operations were being carefully coordinated to minimise casualties.