Amitolu Shittu is a former Field Commander of the Osun State Security Network Agency also known as the Amotekun Corps. In this interview with GBENGA ADERANTI, he talks about the security situation in the state.
Two weeks ago the Owa Miran of Esa Oke appealed to the Osun State Government to help in providing security in the community over the fear of herders’ attacks. As a former DG of Amotekun, what would be your advice to the state government?
First of all, security work is work nobody will say thank you for doing your best. It is the work that people will want to chastise you with whip and scorpion, whichever one is available to them. But responsible people who are saddled with the responsibility of securing lives and property must not look at the way and manner the public treats them. They should consider that not all of us will be police, not all of us will be in the army, all of us cannot be journalists, and not all of us can be lawyers. But if you are destined to be one of them, definitely you must put everything there is to secure lives.
After I left there, the public now realises that one did his best, and I give glory to the Almighty God. When appointing someone to head a security outfit, you must not politicise it. You have to look beyond partisan politics and look beyond personality involvement in political activities so that there can be continuity in whatever we are doing. I am of the opinion that with the latest development, the government must look for responsible and disciplined people who will never compromise.
If people of low quality in terms of integrity are saddled with the responsibility of maintaining the security of lives and property, it is going to be an error, and the error may well be pronounced. This may have a strong negative effect on the generality of the people, because if you look at it critically, the multiplier effect of putting irresponsible individuals to man the security of lives and property is too bogus and we cannot close our eyes to it. You must put someone who will not compromise, no matter what.
I have never compromised. I have never succumbed to threat and blackmail, and I remain resolute and face it squarely. That is why when I was there, kidnapping was completely abolished here, and we made sure we went after them day and night. Equally, the rate of robbery reduced drastically as well as the rate of cultism, and we made sure that those who engaged in cultism, killing of human beings were not given any breathing space in our state.
Amotekun is enough to show a responsible government, because when you care for the security of lives and property, then you can think of food, you can think of money, you can think of work, you can think of going to church or mosque. That is when you can think of celebrating your festivals. It is when there is an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. When there is no peace, you cannot do all this. When there is no atmosphere of peace, you shut down business and it will also cripple the economy. So, the government must invest hugely in the security of lives and property.
As a former chief commander of the agency, I did my best and I made sure that out of the 200 cases that I had, those that were arrested were charged to court. More than 12 are currently in prison. Ranging from kidnapping, ritual killings, and robbery. I give glory to the Almighty God and I thank the judges who handled our cases for not compromising. The government should invest in security. They should invest in the police, and the army. There is no amount of investment in security that is too much, life is priceless.
There are reports that criminal herders took over people’s lands in some parts of Nigeria. Do you see that happening in Osun State?
I want to advise the governor to wake up from his slumber. He should face the governance rather than involve himself in petty and unnecessary political crises. Governance is a huge task.
If any responsible governor deviates from real governance, there is every possibility of getting things wrong. So I’m saying this without any reservation or apology to anybody. The governor should face governance. What entails good governance is security. When the security of lives and property is not guaranteed again, it is tilting towards the declaration of emergency.
What are you doing to avoid Benue State’s experience in Osun?
When it happened in Esa Oke, I know what I did there. It is on record. The Nation reported it. I arrested 28 cows. When they asked me why I arrested cows, I said cows destroyed the farms of innocent people – retired permanent secretaries and retired directors in the ministry who had nothing and resorted to farming to make ends meet. I cannot allow cows to destroy their farms. The owners of the cow can come in so that we negotiate. If we don’t have the owners, automatically, the cows will be confiscated, and whatever proceeds we get will be used to settle the farmers. When we arrested the cows, the owners came out and they entered into an agreement. The herders paid sums ranging between N100,000 and N2 million to the affected farmers. They settled among themselves and ever since then, such a thing has not repeated itself
Why is Ijeshaland so attractive to herders?
This can be curbed and it should be curbed urgently. We have the people that can do it but everything has been politicised. Politics cannot help us if we continue this way because there are big men who also give the herders their livestock to rear for them. So whenever they were arrested they had some big men from Osun who gave them money to keep those cows for them.
There were so many unthinkable things; I was able to get rid of those things.
There was a time they brought N5 million, and I said no, I would rather report to the EFCC and ICPC. That was when the then governor said he was proud of me, that he learned that they brought money to me and I rejected it. You can’t compromise and tell the truth.
I can walk anywhere.
While in the office, I was driving myself. DSS would write a report and warn me that I should stop walking alone, but I said no problem. They sent a report to me that I was prone to attack because I was walking alone. I’m surviving by grace, why should I be afraid of death? I never thought I would not die when Abacha detained me. I was only set free when he died. During the Babangida era, I was locked up for 97 days but I did not die there.
Anybody who wants to do the work of security must be ready to face persecution, abuse and blackmail. If you are not clean, don’t go into the work of security, because you will step on the toes of kidnappers and ritual killers.
What do you think the government should do regarding the fear expressed by the monarch?
The government should fund security. The governor should show interest in security
Do you think the hunters’ union and Amotekun are capable of arresting the situation?
Amotekun is eager if given the opportunity.
