Police arrest 20 Amotekun officials over Osun community killings

About 20 operatives of the Amotekun Corps in Osun State were on Wednesday arrested by a squad of the Nigeria Police Force in connection with the killings that occurred in Akinlalu, a community in Ife North Local Government Area of the state, last week.

The police squad, involved in the arrest, said to have been deployed from Abuja, it was learnt, arrested Amotekun operatives at Oke Fia, Osogbo Operation Base of the Corps and Ife Central Division located in Ile-Ife.

It was also gathered that the police, after arresting the Amotekun men they met in the premises of the Ife Central Area Command and Oke Fia Osogbo Operation Base, sealed off the premises.

But when visited the State Head Office of the Corps located in Powerline Area of Osogbo around 7:40 pm, the premises were not sealed.

When contacted for confirmation, Osun Amotekun spokesperson, Yusuf Idowu, confirmed the arrest of some operatives of the Corps in connection with the incident that occurred in Akinlalu.

“Some policemen came, but they didn’t seal our headquarters (Powerline Office). They burst our operation base in Oke-Fia and the Ife Central command.

“They also arrested about 20 of our operatives at Oke-Fia and Ife Central Command. They came in respect of the Akinlalu incident. The policemen are still at Oke-Fia, and we don’t know where they took our personnel that they arrested,” Idowu said.

Efforts to get Osun Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, failed as calls did not go through to his mobile line and he has not responded to the text message sent to him as at the time this report was filed.

ValidViewNetwork reports that Osun State Police Command has invited the Osun State Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Mr Isaac Omoyele, to bring proof of alleged attempt on his life by some yet-to-be-identified people.

The spokesperson of Osun Amotekun Corps, Idowu Yusuf, had announced early on Tuesday that Omoyele was attacked by gunmen while driving home after the close of work on Monday.

Yusuf said the incident occurred at about 10:05 pm, adding that Omoyele was attacked along Ikirun Road in Kobo Area, Osogbo, while driving home in his private vehicle.

“I had left the office, driving home with my two-door vehicle. When I got to Kobo, some armed men suddenly appeared in a moving vehicle, double side by side with my car and started firing.

“Their faces were covered, and before I could react, they opened fire on my vehicle. Bullets riddled the car. I didn’t stop. I kept driving through the hail of gunfire. I was hit, but I managed to escape,” Omoyele said in the statement.

Amotekun spokesperson further said the incident had been officially reported at the Ota-Efun Police Division in Osogbo.

When contacted by The PUNCH for updates, Osun Police Command spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi said the incident was reported by Omoyele.

Ojelabim, however, said investigation has not commenced as Omoyele has not come up with proof that an attempt was made to kill him.

He said, “According to the report he (Omoyele) made that he was attacked, police have gone to the scene and we have told him to come along with the vehicle.

“He will have to produce the vehicle and other things to prove the incident before we can talk of investigation.”

The alleged assassination attempt of Omoyele had happened barely one week after operatives of Amotekun Corps in the state invaded Akinlalu Community and shot some residents, reportedly killing three people.

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The incident, which led to public condemnation of the mode of operations of the Corps, also led several people to demand the arrest and prosecution of those operatives who perpetrated the act.

Some relations of those who lost their lives in the mayhem, while speaking with our correspondent, demanded justice for their loved ones.

Osun State Police Command, in a report made available to our correspondent after the incident, listed Ibrahim Oyebamiji (m), 26, Sefiu Oyebamiji (m) and Abiola Olutayo (m) as those killed in the mayhem.

Those injured include: Adeagbo Kadijat ‘f’ 22yrs, Oke-Ila Oyebamiji ‘f’ 60yrs and Fayomi Toheeb ‘m’ 19yrs. ‎

The police also confirmed that Amotekun operatives took away corpses of the deceased after the incident.

But the leadership of the Amotekun Corps in the state, though admitting to killing three people, said those killed had engaged its operatives in an exchange of gunfire.

The Corps said its operatives were ambushed by hoodlums, who had gone to Akinlalu to retrieve two rifles forcibly taken away from its operatives.

On Sunday at the palace of the Alakinla of Akinlalu, Oba Oluwabusola Oloyede, the Deputy Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Oyewusi, while speaking, assured residents of the Akinlalu community that the State Government would ensure justice for the victims.

Oyewusi, who is representing Ife North State Constituency, appealed to the youths in the community not to take the law into their hands but to allow proper investigation of the incident.

“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.

“Ife North is a peaceful region. We don’t have power over what has happened, but we want to assure our people that the state government and the police have already started an investigation into the matter, and I am assuring my people that justice will be served.

“We are waiting for the report of the police and the committee set up by the state government, and by God’s grace, the perpetrators will not go freely. We will ensure justice for the victims,” he said.

The Deputy Speaker, who also visited the families that lost people in the incident alongside other members of the Assembly, also promised that the State Government would provide needed support for the families of the deceased.