Thursday, October 9, 2025 - At least 20 operatives of the Osun State Amotekun Corps were on Wednesday arrested by a special squad of the Nigeria Police Force in connection with last week’s killings in Akinlalu, a community in Ife North Local Government Area of the state.
The police team, said to have been deployed from Abuja,
reportedly stormed the corps’ operational bases in Oke-Fia, Osogbo, and Ife
Central Division, Ile-Ife, where they arrested operatives and sealed the
facilities.
Sources told The PUNCH that the officers arrived unannounced
and whisked away all Amotekun personnel found on the premises.
While the bases in Oke-Fia and Ife Central were later
sealed, the corps’ headquarters at Powerline, Osogbo, remained open when our
correspondent visited around 7:40 p.m.
Confirming the arrests, the spokesperson for Osun Amotekun,
Yusuf Idowu, said the police action was connected to the Akinlalu incident.
“Some policemen came, but they didn’t seal our headquarters.
They burst our operation base in Oke-Fia and the Ife Central Command. They also
arrested about 20 of our operatives. We don’t know where they took our
personnel,” Idowu said.
The Osun Police Command spokesperson, SP Abiodun Ojelabi,
confirmed the arrest but said only five Amotekun men were taken into custody,
not 20 as claimed by the corps.
He added that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode
Egbetokun, had taken over investigation into the killings and the reported
assassination attempt on the Amotekun Commander, Brig. Gen. Isaac Omoyele
(retd.).
“The IGP has ordered the elite investigative body of the
Force, the IRT-FID, to take over the case,” Ojelabi said.
“Investigation revealed that the attackers were members of
Amotekun Corps. Five suspects have been arrested, while others remain at
large.”
Ojelabi also disclosed that Omoyele was invited to explain
his role in the attack but failed to honour the invitation
“Efforts to reach him on phone proved abortive as his line
has been switched off. He later went on social media on October 6, 2025,
claiming he was attacked by unknown armed men wearing masks, which preliminary
investigation shows to be a figment of his imagination aimed at derailing
justice,” the police statement read in part.
The command urged the public to disregard the alleged
assassination claim and remain law-abiding, assuring that peace had been
restored in the state.
The arrest of the operatives came in the wake of the
September 29 invasion of Akinlalu, where Amotekun personnel allegedly opened
fire on residents, killing three people and injuring several others.
The victims were identified by police as Ibrahim Oyebamiji
(26), Sefiu Oyebamiji, and Abiola Olutayo, while those injured included Adeagbo
Kadijat (22), Oke-Ila Oyebamiji (60), and Fayomi Toheeb (19).
Police said the corps operatives took away the corpses of
the deceased after the incident.
Amotekun, however, claimed that its men were ambushed by
hoodlums while on a mission to recover two rifles earlier seized from its
operatives, insisting that the deaths occurred during a crossfire.
The incident triggered outrage across the state, with
residents and families of the victims demanding justice and a thorough review
of Amotekun’s operations.
On Sunday, the Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of
Assembly, Gbenga Oyewusi, led a delegation of lawmakers to Akinlalu, where he sympathized
with the families of the victims.
Speaking at the palace of the Alakinla of Akinlalu, Oba
Oluwabusola Oloyede, Oyewusi assured residents that the state government and
security agencies were investigating the killings and would ensure justice.
“Ife North is a peaceful region. We want to assure our
people that the government and the police have begun investigations, and
justice will be served,” Oyewusi said.
He appealed to the community’s youths to remain calm and
allow due process to take its course, adding that the government would support
the affected families.
0 Comments