Adeleke vows justice after Amotekun operatives kill residents

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has ordered a full investigation into the recent killing of some residents of Akinlalu Community by operatives of the Amotekun Corps.

The governor has subsequently dispatched a top-level government delegation to the affected community to find out what transpired on the day of the incident.

Adeleke’s decision to probe the incident was contained in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, made available to the journalists in Osogbo on Saturday.

Rasheed said his principal expressed deep shock at the deaths of some individuals from the town after receiving a preliminary report from his Special Adviser on Security Matters.

“After receiving the preliminary report, further briefings were presented to the Deputy Governor by the security team with a State Security Council meeting now scheduled for Monday to further deliberate on the issue and other emerging security threats in the state,” the statement read.

He vowed to dig into the root of the incident, saying a high-powered delegation of government and service chiefs will visit the affected town after the scheduled state security council meeting on Monday.

“Those expected on the delegation include the Special Adviser on Security Matters to the state governor, the Commissioner for Information, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, the Commissioner for Transportation, the Attorney General of the State, the Special Adviser on Legal Matters to the governor and service chiefs of the various security agencies.

I am a rule of law Governor. This matter is being investigated, and any infraction will be dealt with within the context of the law. I have ordered a security council meeting on this incident and others, such as fears of spill-over from Kwara banditry attacks.

“I sent my condolences to the victims of this unfortunate incident. I urge the good people of Akinlalu to keep calm as our government acts on the matter. I feel their pains, but investigations are ongoing”, the governor further said.

Meanwhile, the Omoluabi Progressives, a political group backed by the ex-Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has expressed concern over “The reckless shooting by operatives of the Osun State Amotekun Corps in Akinlalu Village, Ife North Local Government, which led to the needless loss of innocent lives and inflicted untold trauma on the community.”

The group, in a statement signed by its Publicity and Organising Secretary, Oluwaseun Abosede, further stated, “We condemn, in the strongest terms, this act of lawlessness and lack of professional restraint on the part of those entrusted with the duty of protecting our people. It is most disheartening that the Amotekun security outfit established to safeguard lives and property could descend into such a level of indiscriminate violence against the very citizens it is meant to defend.”

It further said Adeleke should be held responsible for the misconduct of his employees, urging the State Government to immediately caution Amotekun operatives, investigate the heinous incident, and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

“To the good people of Akinlalu, we extend our heartfelt sympathy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost their loved ones, the injured, and all residents who have been thrown into fear and mourning. May God grant the departed eternal rest, comfort the bereaved, and heal the wounded hearts. Losing three children from one family by any standard is calamitous.

“We demand that justice be served to those who lost their loved ones; that those who are receiving treatment in hospitals be given the best medical care; that families whose property were destroyed and looted by the rampaging operatives be adequately compensated; and, most importantly, that the perpetrators of this heinous act be identified, prosecuted, and brought to book without delay,” the group said.

The reports that Osun State Police Command had earlier said it would ensure all those involved in the mayhem that occurred in Akinlalu, where operatives of Osun Amotekun Corps killed three people, were identified and face the wrath of the law.

The spokesperson for the Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, while giving updates on the incident during a chat on Friday, explained that those Amotekun men involved in the killing had been identified.

Ojelabi also said the Command had met with the representatives of the community, assuring investigations into the incident would be thorough.

“We met the affected people in the community, and they have given us their statement, and we are still investigating,” Ojelabi said.

Asked if Amotekun operatives involved had been invited, the Osun Police Public Relations Officer further said, “Some of them have been identified, and there is no place to hide. Many of them are on the run, but definitely we will get them, except if they leave Osun State.”

Residents of Akinlalu had accused the operatives of Amotekun Corps of killing three residents when they invaded the town on Tuesday.

The residents said the Amotekun men acted without provocation and took away the corpses of those they killed after the attack.

They also said about 10 people sustained gunshot injuries in the attack and were admitted for treatment in hospitals in Ipetumodu, Gbongan and Yakooyo.

Recalling the incident that preceded the attack, an indigene of Akinlalu, Kamardeen Babarinde, said some farmers in Aba Oba, a village under the community, invited Amotekun operatives to receive some suspected thieves that allegedly stole Cocoa beans, whom the villagers arrested.

He further said, “That was on Monday, and the Amotekun men sent their operatives to Aba Oba. But those suspected thieves, while being moved from Aba Oba to Akinlalu, engaged in physical struggle with those Amotekun operatives that came to receive them from the villagers who arrested them.

“During that incident, one of the suspected thieves and an Amotekun sustained injury. That happened on Monday. Immediately, the news of that incident reached the community, the head of the community youth went to the Amotekun office, and they settled the matter. In the morning on Tuesday, these Amotekun men came back to Akinlalu and met Olori Odo (Head of Community Youth) and others. The meeting deliberated on the incident that occurred on Monday, and they resolved it.”

He continued, “But in the afternoon same Tuesday, between 12:00 and 1:00 pm, Amotekun men returned to Akinlalu and shot sporadically. I was close to the scene of the incident. Women, children and youth they saw on the road were shot. The suspects who had issues with them on Monday are the sons of an ex-military personnel living in Akinlalu. Instead of going to the man’s house, they attacked everyone they saw on the streets. They shot unarmed people.

“About 14 people were shot, but three of them were critically injured. The Amotekun men involved in the attack hurriedly left the scene, and a few minutes later, when people had come out to help those who were shot, these Amotekun operatives came back and forcibly took away those who were critically injured. All three eventually died; among them were two men from the same mother.

“In the Tuesday incident, no Amotekun operative was attacked. The manner they acted suggested that the Osun State Government had hired criminals as Amotekun operatives. This must be investigated. Our town is in mourning. The Amotekun people lied in their release. I am from Akinlalu, and I was in the town when the incident happened. I witnessed it. Those that they killed are Oyebamiji Ibrahim, Ismail, and Olutayo Abiola. Two of the deceased are from the same parents.”

Another resident of Akinlalu, simply identified as Jeleel, who also claimed to be close to the scene of the incident, said Amotekun men came in three vans and shot unarmed people.

Earlier, reports that the management of Osun Amotekun Corps said three people were killed during a clash between its operatives and some suspected hoodlums in Akinlalu.

The security organisation, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Idowu Yusuf, obtained in Osogbo on Tuesday, said the hoodlums had earlier ambushed its men responding to a distress call in Akinlalu and forcibly took three rifles from them.

Yusuf also said the backup team sent to the scene was also attacked by the hoodlums at Akinlalu junction, leading to an exchange of gunfire, after which three people lost their lives.

“The incident occurred on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, and resulted in a deadly confrontation between the corps and suspected armed hoodlums.

“According to official reports, the operatives were dispatched from the Amotekun Command in Ile-Ife following an emergency call from Akinlalu residents, who reported a group of suspected bandits had invaded farmlands in the area. Acting swiftly, four Amotekun operatives mobilised on motorcycles to address the situation and ensure the safety of the local population.

“Tragically, while en route to Akinlalu, the team was ambushed by armed assailants, suspected to be the same group terrorising the community. During the sudden attack, two service rifles belonging to the Amotekun Corps were forcibly taken by the assailants,” Yusuf said.

cupped from Punch.