How Osun Amotekun shot two siblings dead – Stepmother

A stepmother, Fausat Oyebamiji, on Sunday narrated how men of the Osun Amotekun Corps shot two siblings dead last Tuesday during a mayhem in Akinlalu community, Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State.

The incident, which plunged the community into mourning, left three people dead and eight others injured, mostly women and youths.

The police identified the victims as Ibrahim Oyebamiji (26), Sefiu Oyebamiji, and Abiola Olutayo, while the injured included Adeagbo Kadijat (22), Oke-Ila Oyebamiji (60), and Fayomi Toheeb (19). The police confirmed that Amotekun operatives took away the corpses of the deceased after the incident.

Oyebamiji, stepmother to Ibrahim and Ismaila, described the harrowing events when members of the Osun State House of Assembly visited the community to condole with the families.

Ibrahim was a humble, easygoing and respectful boy. He was a barber. He came home on Tuesday after his father told him to run an errand at the farm. He gave his mother N2,500 for feeding allowance for his younger siblings.

Ismaila also had his own trade and was using his motorcycle for business. When he heard his brother had been shot, he rushed outside and was also hit by bullets. They shot him again where he tried to hide. Imagine a father losing two children in one day! Adeleke should take these Amotekun men away. We don’t want them again — they are worse than the police,” she lamented.

On Sunday, members of the Osun State House of Assembly, led by Deputy Speaker Akinyode Oyewusi, visited Akinlalu to console the bereaved families and promised that the government would ensure justice

Speaking at the palace of the Alakinla of Akinlalu, Oba Oluwabusola Oloyede, Oyewusi assured residents that a proper investigation was underway.

“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 the state government and the police have already started investigating the matter. I assure you that justice will be served,” he said.

Oyewusi also promised that the government would provide support to the families affected by the incident.

The Akinlalu Youth Leader, Musibau Adeboye, called on the state government to ensure that the operatives involved face the full wrath of the law.

“I want to appreciate the members of the state assembly for their efforts, particularly the Deputy Speaker. Since the incident, he has been with us and assured us of the government’s readiness to ensure justice.

I have spoken with my people and we have agreed to remain calm and allow for proper investigation. Our hope and belief is that those involved in these barbaric acts will be brought to justice,” he said.

Adeboye also urged the government to restore the police post in the community, stressing that its absence worsened the situation.

“If there had been a police post here, the incident might not have been as brutal. Before the police could arrive from Ipetumodu, Amotekun personnel had wreaked havoc on our people,” he added.

In a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Idowu Yusuf, the Osun Amotekun Corps admitted that three people were killed but said its operatives acted in self-defence after being ambushed by hoodlums.

“Our men were ambushed while attempting to retrieve two rifles forcibly taken from them during an earlier confrontation with suspected thieves. In the exchange of gunfire that followed, three of the attackers were neutralised,” the statement read.

Adeboye, however, dismissed the claim, saying the corps’ actions were unprovoked.

“We heard there was theft of farm produce at Abaoba, a village under Akinlalu. Amotekun men went there and arrested suspects. Later, we learnt two rifles were seized from them by the sons of a retired soldier.

The next day, they returned heavily armed and started shooting indiscriminately. When I arrived, it was a gory sight. The whole community looked like a slaughter slab,” he said.

The Nigerian Bar Association, Osogbo Branch, condemned the killings and demanded a thorough probe. Its chairman, Maruf Adediran, described the attack as “barbaric, inhuman, and a violation of constitutionally guaranteed rights”.

“Although Amotekun said its operatives acted in self-defence, the Bar will closely monitor the investigation to ensure justice is served,” he said.

Two civil society groups — Nigeria for Good Governance and Dialogue 365 — also blamed the government for what they called the “deterioration of professionalism” within the Amotekun Corps.

“We saw this danger coming when the current leadership of the Amotekun Corps was appointed. The killings in Akinlalu are just a snippet of what this outfit is capable of,” said Wole Oladapo, convener of Nigeria for Good Governance.

“Amotekun has completely derailed from its core duties. They have become aggressors instead of protectors,” added Waheed Saka, chairman of Dialogue 365.

The Omoluabi Progressives, a political group loyal to former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, also condemned the “reckless shooting” and urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to ensure accountability.

“It is most disheartening that Amotekun, established to protect lives, could descend to such indiscriminate violence. Those responsible must be prosecuted, and victims’ families compensated,” said Oluwaseun Abosede, the group’s spokesperson.

Earlier, Governor Ademola Adeleke ordered a full-scale investigation into the killings. In a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor expressed shock over the deaths and said a state security council meeting would deliberate on the incident.

“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 and other emerging threats in the state,” Adeleke said.

“I send 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,” he added.

A delegation comprising service chiefs and key commissioners is expected to visit Akinlalu after the security council meeting

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