..You lack justification to seal Amotekun office – Osun Assembly slams them
TUNDE ADELEKE, Osogbo
The Osun State Police Command has taken over the custody of suspects detained by the Osun Amotekun Corps following an official visit to the agency’s headquarters in Osogbo.
The Inspector-General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team (IGP-IRT), led by SP Rotimi Ogunmuyi and accompanied by Deputy Commissioner of Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Bayonle Sulaiman, stormed the Amotekun office on Friday as part of an investigation into the alleged recent Akinlalu killing incident.
The team had earlier arrested about 20 operatives of the Amotekun Corps they met in the premises of the Ife Central Area Command and Oke Fia Osogbo Operation Base, and sealed off the premises.
The team who was received by the Chairman of the Amotekun Board, AIG Wale Abbas, proceeded to inspect the facility’s detention cells, where four suspects were found held in two different cells.
Two of the detainees reportedly told the officers that they had been in custody for over five weeks on allegations of selling Indian hemp.
Another suspect said he had been detained for four days for stealing engine oil, while a Fulani herdsman disclosed that he had spent six days in custody over a cattle-related offence.
Sulaiman, however, ordered that all suspects be handed over to the nearest divisional police headquarters for proper investigation.
He said, “detaining suspects for more than 24 hours without due process was unlawful and contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.”
Meanwhile, the Osun State House of Assembly, OSHA, condemned the sealing of the offices of the Amotekun Corps, by federal security operatives, describing the action as unconstitutional and politically motivated.
Addressing newsmen in Osogbo on Friday, the Speaker OSHA, Adewale Egbedun, expressed concerns over what it called a “forceful and unlawful” closure of the state security outfit, established in 2020 to combat kidnapping, banditry, and violent crimes across Osun.
“This Honourable House finds it 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.
“It is important to note that in previous incidents involving the police and other federal security agencies, alleged misconduct by personnel did not lead to the sealing of the affected formations. The present sealing of the Amotekun Corps offices therefore lacks justification and constitutes a clear departure from standard and lawful procedure.”
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