…as Oyo Assembly holds PLS inquiry on Amotekun law
Stakeholders, including traditional rulers, community leaders, policymakers, and legal practitioners in Oyo State, have urged the state House of Assembly to introduce a Special Welfare Scheme for officers and operatives of the Oyo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun, to enhance effective and efficient service delivery.
They made the call on Thursday during the Post Legislative Scrutiny (PLS) inquiry on the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) Law, 2020, held at the House of Chiefs, Secretariat, Ibadan.
The programme, organised in collaboration with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), focuses on reviewing existing laws through PLS inquiry to determine whether amendments or repeals are necessary to strengthen implementation.
Representing the Speaker, the Majority Leader, Hon. Sanjo Adedoyin, said the PLS platform provides an opportunity to introduce fresh ideas not captured in the existing legislation.
He assured that all submissions, suggestions, and memoranda by invited stakeholders would be carefully considered in the interest of improving enforcement for the benefit of citizens and residents of the state.
In his presentation, the Chairman of the Oyo State Security Network Agency, AIG Sikiru Akande, commended Governor Seyi Makinde for his commitment to safeguarding lives and property.
He highlighted the establishment of the Amotekun law and the acquisition of two surveillance aircraft to secure farmlands and forest reserves as clear demonstrations of this commitment.
Akande noted that the improved relationship between Amotekun and the Nigerian Police Force has enhanced information sharing and intelligence gathering.
Supporting his position, the agency’s Commandant, Col. Olayinka Olayanju (rtd), appealed to the House of Assembly to approve a 300 per cent severance allowance for operatives who have served between eight and ten years.
He revealed that the agency has lost 17 officers and proposed a N2.5 million benchmark as death benefits for operatives who die in active service.
Speaking on behalf of the Soun of Ogbomoso, Aseyin of Iseyin, and Eleruwa of Eruwa, the Abese of Ogbomoso, Chief Kasali Yusuf, applauded late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and Governor Seyi Makinde for championing the acceptance of Amotekun across South-West states.
The monarchs urged the Assembly to adopt the Special Welfare Scheme, saying it would significantly motivate operatives.
They also called on local government chairmen to provide functional offices to aid effective policing.
They further appealed to the agency’s leadership to maintain cordial relationships with federal security agencies to enhance intelligence gathering and operational synergy.
In her remarks, the coordinator of the PLS Unit, Mrs. Aderonke Ogundeji, commended Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin and the lawmakers for establishing the PLS Unit—describing it as the first of its kind in any legislative arm of government in Nigeria.
She noted that with support from WFD and NILDS, the pilot PLS Unit is ready to share its expertise with other State Assemblies to strengthen law-making and legislative oversight.
She encouraged continued collaboration with academia, research institutes, and civil society organisations to enrich the inquiry and future reviews.
Men of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, have arrested a suspect, Oyediran Ayomide, said to be notorious for snatching motorcycles and attacking commercial riders along the border communities between Ondo and Kwara states.
Ayomide, 19, who hails from Kwara State, was apprehended on Thursday in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
His arrest followed intensified patrols under Operation Le Won Jade (Operation Flush Them Out), launched by the Amotekun Corps last week to strengthen security across border corridors during the 2025 ember months.
The special operation targets kidnappers, bandits, armed robbers, and other criminal elements operating within forest reserves and boundary areas linking Ondo with Ogun, Ekiti, Kwara, and Osun states.
Confirming the arrest, the spokesman for the Amotekun Corps, Mr Jimoh Adeniken, said the notorious suspect attacked a commercial motorcyclist with a sledgehammer before fleeing with the victim’s motorcycle to Ore.
Adeniken added that Ayomide, who had been in custody following interrogation, will be handed over to security operatives in Kwara State for further investigation and prosecution.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime, saying he intended to use the stolen motorcycle for commercial operations in Ore.
“I told the commercial motorcycle (okada) rider to take me to a farm settlement. When we got there, I pretended to make a phone call to distract him. Then I hit him on the head with a sledgehammer. He abandoned the motorcycle and ran,” he said.
The Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, has arrested a 29-year-old man, Ogunbemi Adebayo, alleged to be an informant for bandits terrorising and kidnapping residents across the state.
Adebayo was among four suspects paraded before journalists yesterday at the Corps’ headquarters in Akure, the state capital.
Parading the suspects, State Commander of Amotekun, Adetunji Adeleye, said that Adebayo allegedly confessed to volunteering as an informant for kidnappers operating around the Ago Dada Camp in Akure North Local Government Area.
According to Adeleye, the suspect underwent training on firearm handling, including the use of AK-47 rifles, conducted by bandits at the Ademekun farmland in Ago Dada before his arrest.
Adeleye said three Amotekun officers – Abu Taiwo, Akinsipe Victor, and Akinjumi Julius – had been suspended for alleged gross misconduct and breach of the Corps’ operational. ethics.
“The three of them have been reprimanded and declared wanted. They acted in isolation, and the Corps remains solid and focused on its mandate. We will not allow the actions of a few individuals to tarnish our image.
“We are certain they are being sponsored, but due process will prevail. If they are innocent, it will be clear to everyone,” he added.
“Adebayo confessed voluntarily that he served as an informant to kidnappers operating around Ademekun power line at Ago Dada Camp.
“He told us he was recruited a few months ago, thinking it was for a harmless purpose, until he was taken to Ademekun farmland where he was trained by Fulani men on how to use an AK-47.
“He had been working with them until he was apprehended through a joint operation involving the Civil Defence, Amotekun, the regent, and residents of Ademekun village,” he said.
The Amotekun commander also revealed the arrest of Nasiru Suleiman, accused of vandalising government-owned caterpillars and heavy-duty equipment parked at a government yard along the Akure-Ondo road.
Adeleye said the Corps recovered several stolen items and heavy engines from Suleiman, noting that his gang – still at large – had stripped several machines down to carcasses.
“They had completely vandalised a number of caterpillars and were dismantling the third one when our men caught them,” he said.
Similarly, the Corps apprehended Saliu Nureni and Ahmed Oladimeji for alleged armed robbery around the NEPA Market in Akure.
The suspects were said to have set ablaze a property belonging to one of their victims and carted away a generating set at Igoba, in the state capital.
The Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji, has paid a condolence visit to the Akinlalu community in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State over the killing and maiming of residents during an invasion by operatives of the Amotekun Corps.
The Nation reports that the Amotekun operatives stormed Akinlalu market square, killing four people and injuring several others, after which they reportedly tagged the victims as bandits.
Oyebamiji, a leading governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) and convener of the “AMBO Movement,” also announced scholarships for the children of those who lost their lives in the attack.
During the visit to the palace of the Alakinlalu of Akinlalu, Oba Oluwabusola Oloyede, Oyebamiji promised the immediate construction of a modern police division in the town to strengthen security and prevent further attacks.
Addressing residents and families of the victims, he assured that the AMBO Movement would continue to support the affected families and work with security agencies to ensure that justice is served.
Oyebamiji expressed deep sympathy to the bereaved families, describing the killings as tragic and unacceptable, and vowed to push for improved community security across Osun State.
According to him, “It is painful that the lives of some of the promising indigenes who are the future of this town were cut short by gruesome killings. But I can assure you that the perpetrators will not go scot-free. They will face the full wrath of the law. We will support you and work to ensure that the culprits are brought to justice.
“Our leader, former Governor of Osun and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has been very supportive and working seriously to ensure that none of the culprits goes unpunished. We will continue to support your town to restore peace. We pray that God will continue to shower His mercy on the parents and families of the victims.
“We want to assure you that all the children of the victims are given scholarships from primary to tertiary institutions by the AMBO Movement. We have set up a committee to ensure this. Any of the children who want to learn any vocation will be equally supported to graduation level and will also be equipped with the necessary facilities and equipment.
“This is not about politics; it is a necessity. With this visit, we will brief the Minister on further assistance. We will also construct an ultramodern police post in the town to strengthen security”, Oyebamiji assured.
In his remarks, Alakinlalu of Akinlalu, Oba Istrael Oyewale Aborisade lauded AMBO Movement for identifying with the community.
The traditional rulers expressed profound gratitude to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for his swift response and lofty intervention to get the federal government’s attention on the incident.
Seeks proper profiling of new recruits into Amotekun
The pioneer Osun State Commandant of Amotekun, Chief Amitolu Shittu, has urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to hand over fleeing Commandant of the outfit, Isaac Omoyele to Inspector General of the Police over killings of Akinlalu town by his corps.
The Nation reports that Amotekun operatives invaded the Akinlalu market square, killing three members of the same family and another resident, while several others sustained gunshot injuries. Omoyele later claimed he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt — a claim the police dismissed.
Subsequently, the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the IGP arrested 25 Amotekun corps on Wednesday night. It sealed their operational-amoury base at Oke-Fia, Osogbo, including the outfit’s Ife Central Office.
Speaking with newsmen on Saturday, Amitolu condemned the killings of innocent residents in Osun State by Amotekun corps, noting that “Since I left office, the outfit has been personalised by its new leadership which makes Amotekun to derail from the reason for its creation.”
Speaking about the recruitment of 1,000 corps, he said “The present leadership engaged the services of ex -convicts, thugs and cultists. I want to charge Governor Adeleke, if he cannot disband the corps, he should investigate and profile them to know who was recruited.
“Presently, what we are facing is criminal masquerading, Isaac Omoyele, personalizing Amotekun for pecuniary gains. We seized vehicles from some robbers when I was serving but today, Omoyele has disposed of the properties recovered from robbers.
“Adeleke should investigate the activities of Amotekun, as the corps is now involved in a personal security guard and they collect money which is never remitted into the coffers of the government. The outfit was never meant to man personal property.
“Since I left office in January 2023, Amotekun has been personalised by Omoyele for his own venture.
“Criminals have found their ways into Amotekun, majority of those that are ex-convicts, cultists and those with criminal records are recruited into the outfit. Governor must look for ways to flush them out.”
12 constituents killed by Amotekun in eight months – Senator Fadahunsi
Adeleke commends police investigation over killings
Fresh facts have emerged as to why the Inspector General of Police (IGP) team sealed the operational base and Ife Central Office of the Amotekun outfit in Osun State following the killing and maiming of residents of Akinlalu community in Ife North Local Government Area.
It will be recalled that Amotekun operatives invaded Akinlalu Market Square, killing three members of the same family and hacking one other to death, while several others sustained gunshot injuries.
The Amotekun Commandant, Isaac Omoyele, later claimed he escaped an assassination attempt; a claim the police have dismissed.
Subsequently, the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the IGP arrested 25 Amotekun corps on Wednesday night. It sealed their operational-amoury base at Oke-Fia, Osogbo, including the outfit’s Ife Central Office.
At the weekend, The Nation joined the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IGP-IRT) led by SP Rotimi Ogunmuyiwa and accompanied by Deputy Commissioner of CID, Bayonle Suliaman, to storm the Amotekun Headquarters to inspect the facilities of the outfit located at Powerline area of Osogbo.
Omoyele was not in the office, but the Chairman of the Amotekun Board, Wale Abbas, welcomed the team.
The team said they were aware that Amotekun leadership had created several departments like Anti-cultism, Narcotics, kidnapping and homicide, among other units, for which they appointed heads. They demanded that the heads of these units created by Amotekun leaders should report to the Osun State Police Command.
During the inspection, the team discovered five cells and other underground cells used by the Amotekun Corps to keep the suspects they arrest. The cells were generally not well kept while one of them has a dwarf entrance with iron bars.
The IGP-IRT team discovered four detainees in the cells of Amotekun who had spent more than six weeks in detention.
One of the detainees said: “They are demanding N150,000 bail from me for selling Indian hemp.”
The IGP team directed that the suspect should be handed over to the nearest police divisional headquarters, adding that it is unlawful to detain those suspects for more than 24 hours.
Following the sealing off of the Amotekun base by the police, the Osun State House of Assembly, through its Speaker, Adewale Egbedun, kicked against the move, asserting that the outfit was validly established by a law enacted by the assembly with a clear mandate of complementing the efforts of conventional security agencies in combating kidnapping, banditry, and other violent crimes in the state.
Addressing newsmen yesterday at the assembly complex, he said: “It is deeply troubling and constitutionally offensive that an agency created by law and funded by the Osun State Government could be summarily shut down without due process, consultation with the State Government or the House of Assembly which enacted its enabling legislation. At a time when security concerns are escalating in neighbouring states, this is a moment when the Amotekun Corps should be fully operational and reinforced, not sealed.
“It should be noted that if any breach of security occurs in Osun State as a result of the Amotekun Corps offices being sealed, the Nigeria Police Force and relevant security agencies will be held accountable. The safety of our people cannot be compromised due to avoidable administrative or political actions.
“The House is equally disturbed by credible reports linking this action to political interference allegedly instigated by Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi in collaboration with former Governor Gboyega Oyetola.
“If proven true, such actions constitute a reckless abuse of political influence and a gross betrayal of the people of Osun State, whose safety and security must never be reduced to a political manoeuvre.”
However, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East District, reacting to the allegations, berated the Assembly, saying “Amotekun office has become the home of murderers, not protecting the community. The Amotekun officers are disturbing the peace of the state.”
Fadahunsi said: “I am the Senator of Ife/Ijesa senatorial district, and this is not about the APC or PDP. From February to date, I have lost 12 people to Amotekun’s killings.
“I don’t know if Governor Oyetola is involved. He is the leader of the APC. But as for me, I was the one who invited the police, as I can’t continue to let them kill my people.
“During the crisis that occurred at the local government election, I lost four people. Many are still roaming about with bullets in their body. Nobody has been arrested.
“There was another case of shooting in Esa-Oke caused by the governor and the Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. After causing trouble for Ijesa South and Ijesa North, they now went to Ife to kill people in Akinlalu.
“Do they expect me to keep quiet as the Senator representing the district? I will not keep quiet. They would not kill a single goat in my area again. If they send them to go and destabilize my own Senatorial District, I will not allow it.”
Meanwhile, Osun Civil Societies Coalition has demanded justice for the victims of Amotekun killings in the state, blaming the Police and Department of State Services (DSS) for failing to stop killings and brutality by the outfit.
The CSOs through its Chairman, Comrade Waheed Lawal, in a statement on Friday demanded immediate suspension of Amotekun operations in the state, prosecution of all those involved in the killings, in accordance with Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution, establishment of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry under the Tribunals of Inquiry Law, Cap 138, Laws of Osun State 2002 and adequate compensation for families of the deceased and victims of the attack.
However, Governor Ademola Adeleke, in a release by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, commended the IGP over the ongoing investigation of Amotekun killings in Akinlalu, calling for the observance of the rule of law in the process.
Amid the development, Akinlalu, through its spokesperson, Olamide Babarinde, raised the alarm that some aggrieved corps of Amotekun were still threatening to invade the community again if they continue to demand justice for slain residents.
The operational base of Osun State Amotekun corps has been sealed in Osogbo following killings by operatives of the outfit at Akinlalu town.
The Corps invaded Akinlalu community market last Tuesday and killed three members of a family and another person while several others sustained gunshot wounds.
On Wednesday evening, The Nation learnt that over 25 corps of the security outfit were arrested by Inspector General of Police(IGP) squad who bursted the base.
It was gathered the squad also sealed the Amotekun base located at Ife Central Local Government Area of Osun State.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Osun Amotekun, Yusuf Idowu, confirmed the development to The Nation on phone.
He said “They arrested 20 Amotekun corps when the IGP squad burst our operational base located at Oke-Fia, Osogbo on Wednesday. Our office at Ife Central was equally sealed and five of our men were arrested.”
When our correspondent visited the Amotekun headquarters located at Powerline, Osogbo there were few officers who are not in uniform around the facility.
The Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Akinyode Oyewusi, has led a government delegation to commiserate with the families of those killed by operatives of the Amotekun Corps in Akinlalu community, Ife North Local Government Area of the state.
The Nation reported that the incident occurred last week when members of the Amotekun Corps invaded the community, killing four people at the market square near the town’s palace after a rifle was allegedly snatched by a suspected thief. Among the victims were three members of the same family.
The incident sparked widespread outrage, prompting the Osun State Police Command and the state government to launch investigations. Governor Ademola Adeleke also dispatched a delegation to visit the affected families and ensure justice is served.
During the visit to the palace of the Alakinlalu, Oyewusi, who represents the Ife North State Constituency, assured the community that the government would not allow the matter to be swept under the carpet.
“We are here to commiserate with the families and the town over what happened. We also want to beg the youth of Akinlalu to allow peace to reign,” Oyewusi said. “The government and the police have already started investigations, and I assure you that justice will be served. The perpetrators will not go free.”
He urged the youth not to take the law into their own hands while promising that the government would support the victims’ families.
Addressing the bereaved families, the Deputy Speaker said, “My message to you is to accept this as fate. I pray God will comfort you, and I want to assure you that the government will do everything necessary to support these families.”
The youth leader of Akinlalu, Musibau Adeboye, also appealed to the state government to ensure that those responsible for the killings face the full wrath of the law.
Condemnation is trailing the killing of three members of a family, and one other at Akinlalu community, a suburb of Osun State by officials of Amotekun corps. TOBA ADEDEJI reports the aftermath.
Akinlalu community in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State wears a gloomy look. The mood is a combination of fear, grief, and deafening silence. The tense atmosphere is following the invasion of the community by operatives of the Amotekun corps who shot and killed unarmed residents at the market square.
The Nation recalled that masked Amotekun officials last Tuesday invaded the epicenter of the community, the market square via the palace and started shooting indiscriminately. Four people, including three family members were killed in the process while 11 others sustained injuries.
It was learnt that the Amotekun corps had on Monday, arrested a suspected thief at Aba-Oba village via Akinlalu but he later overpowered them and snatched a gun from them.
Infuriated by the development, the Amotekun corps on Tuesday invaded the community to create fear and make the community produce the stolen rifle.
When our correspondent visited the town on Friday,the once lively town had become a shadow of itself. Bereaved families sat mournfully, while others spoke in low tones.
There were uncontrollable tears in the house of Aro of Akinlalu, Chief Kamorudeen Oyebamiji who lost his three children in the attack.
Two children of his younger wife were killed while a child of his elder wife was gruesomely killed during the invasion.
Chief Kamorudeen said “the hooded Amotekun corps killed my three children in a single day. Two of them were shot while the other was hacked to death when he was trying to escape from the scene. They must bring those corpses.”
Another bereaved man, Nurudeen Adeabo, showed The Nation pellets of the bullets fired at his house located close to the market by Amotekun officials during the attack.
He disclosed that “they killed one of my sons here. Check the walls in my house, they are riddled with bullets. My daughter, who is a nursing mother was shot on her thigh, while my son who is a graduate had his hand broken with the axes used on him. I was equally assaulted by the officials with a gun butt. They came to the town wearing masks.”
A resident , who identified himself simply as Sola also disclosed that “a 45-year-old Akeeb Odefunke who had a stroke was also hacked by men of Amotekun during the attack. A pepper seller at the market was shot but still receiving treatment at the hospital.
“All these attacks happened in the heartbeat of the community, the palace, market square, Oke-Ola junction and Seriki’s compound. There were several others that sustained minor injuries scattered across hospitals in our community and Ipetumodu. They fired several shots at a primary school in the market area. It seemed those Amotekun people perpetrated the invasion under the influence of drugs.”
Also speaking, the head of the youths, Musbau Adeboye, berated the state government and Governor Ademola Adeleke for keeping mum since Tuesday when the incident occurred, noting that the attack was a callous one.
He explained that “On Tuesday morning, when the Ife North Commander of Amotekun informed me that a thief escaped from his boys and snatched away their gun on Monday, I told him that I will organise youths to give them intel on how to arrest them.
“But minutes later, they struck, maimed and killed people of our community. I was surprised. This is barbaric. Many were in a pool of blood when I entered the town. They first left after the attack but returned a few minutes later to carry the corpses and others who sustained gunshot wounds to Osogbo.
“It is unfortunate that Governor Ademola Adeleke has not said anything since the incident occurred. The youths are bitter about the incident. Amotekun turned themselves into militants.”
Speaking with The Nation on Friday, the Alakinlalu of Akinlalu, Oba Oluwabusola Oloyede, demanded justice for the slain residents denying the claim of Amotekun that those killed were bandits and hoodlums.
He explained that when the incident occurred, he contacted the Osun State House of Assembly Deputy Speaker, Akinyode Oyewusi and they visited the Amotekun headquarters in Osogbo to secure the release of those that were arrested and the corpses of the slain victims during the invasion of the town.
According to him, “upon our visit to Amotekun headquarters, their boss confirmed to us that he was the one who ordered the invasion, having instructed them to first visit the palace. However, they never came to the palace but rather attacked innocent residents at the market square. Four people were killed while nine people were injured during the attack. One of the injured victims died this morning.”
He implored the youths to remain calm and put their trust in the state government to bring the erring Amotekun corps to justice.
“I want to equally state that my people never laid ambush for anyone, the people that were killed are not bandits and hoodlums as claimed by Amotekun, the people they shot and also killed were attacked at the market square and their homes close by.”
One of the leaders of the community, Olamide Babarinde, disclosed that the Amotekun corps are still threatening to invade the community again if they continue to address newsmen about the incident.
“I want to urge the state government to come to our aid. they should bring these Amotekun corps to book to serve as a deterrent to others. This matter should not be allowed to be swept under the carpet.”
A civil society group, Dialogue 365 led by Comrade Waheed Saka, described the attack as barbaric and unjust, saying “It is unfortunate that the state government turned deaf ears to our outcry when Governor Ademola Adeleke appointed former SARS leader, Isaac Omoyele as the commandant of Amotekun. He was indicted by #EndSARs panel for several extrajudicial killings. He was recommended for demotion.
“In 2022, he killed three family members in Ede, the unfortunate incident forced him to retire from the Nigerian Police force, Adeleke appointed him as his Chief Security Officer, which we kicked against, thereafter, he was appointed as the Corps Commandant of Amotekun.”
He continued, “You cannot appoint a killer ex-police officer indicted by government panel in their report as head of an outfit like Amotekun and not witness this kind of brutal killing. Imagine, Amotekun hacked residents to death.
“We are demanding immediate arrest of Omoyele who ordered the attack and his killer squad who killed women and children at the market square.”
Also, a popular guber aspirant, Bola Oyebamiji expressed his condolences to the people of Akinlalu, over the tragic killings of their beloved, describing the incident as regrettable, praying for the repose of the departed souls as well as strength for the bereaved families to bear the painful losses.
He appealed to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate the unfortunate and gory incident.
Tension gripped Akinlalu community in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State on Tuesday after gunmen ambushed a patrol team of the Amotekun Corps, leaving three people dead.
The Nation learnt that the assailants had earlier attacked a farmland in the area, prompting a resident to alert Amotekun operatives in Ile-Ife. However, as the patrol team made its way to the community, the gunmen, already aware of their movement, launched a deadly ambush.
Confirming the incident, Osun Amotekun Public Relations Officer, Yusuf Abass, said the patrol team was attacked while heading to Akinlalu to confront a group that had been terrorising the community.
He added that during the assault, the assailants also carted away two service rifles belonging to the operatives.
He said, “However, the outfit reinforced operatives who went to the town. At the T-junction leading into Akinlalu, the road was found barricaded by the assailants, who immediately opened fire on the operatives, triggering a fierce gun battle that lasted for over an hour.
“Amotekun operatives successfully overpowered the gunmen and three lives were lost, we arrested three while several others sustained injuries and fled the scene.”
He added that the outfit recovered two firearms along with force uniforms and berets used by the hoodlums for impersonation.
These items were discovered in a hideout believed to be connected to the attackers.
