Despite numerous challenges confronting the operations of the Ondo State Security Agency, Amotekun, the outfit is recording successes, reports James Sowole
Considering the magnitude of criminal activities being recorded on daily basis in Nigeria, it is clear that the conventional security agencies like police, as presently constituted, cannot tackle the problem. Stories of kidnapping, robberies, destruction of farmlands and crops and violent clashes between farmers and herdsmen are rife. It was in realisation of this fact that it became imperative for the governors of the South-west states of Nigeria, to come up with the Regional Security Network codenamed, Amotekun. Right from onset, the Chairman, South West Governors Forum and Governor of Ogun State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, clarified that the security outfit, was not out to rival the existing conventional security agencies, but to complement their efforts. Of the six states in the geopolitical zone, Ondo State, inaugurated the Amotekun Corps at a colourful ceremony on August 2020.Since inauguration, Ondo Amotekun operatives have recorded many successes through foiling of kidnaps, arrest of armed robbery suspects. One of the successes recorded recently was the arrest of some northerners, for illegal gold mining in Owo Local Government Area of the state. The suspects were immediately handed over to the state police command.
In the area of mediation, the Amotekun corps has met with the state leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and the leadership of the Ondo State Farmers Association to fashion out ways to end the incessant destruction of farmland by the cows of the herders. In the parley, it was resolved that any farmer whose farms or crops were destroyed by cows would be compensated by the owners of the cows. And since then, it was gathered that there had been compensations for many farmers.
The Ondo Amotekun forces have been able to rescue some kidnapped victims. The rescue of the wife of the Chief of Staff to Governor Akeredolu, Chief Olugbenga Ale, who was abducted along Akure/Ondo Expressway in November last year was carried out by Amotekun corps, who worked with some local hunters in the areas. Within 24 hours of thorough search, the woman was rescued.
Apart from this, many herders had been arrested and over 5,000 cows seized for destroying farmers’ crops in some villages. This has drastically reduced the incessant herdsmen/farmers clashes in the state. The recent order banning open grazing and ejecting herdsmen from the state’s forest reserves by Akeredolu are being enforced by the corps.
However, the forces have recorded injuries from attacks by criminals during operations just as the corps had lost operational vehicle and motorcycles. In early February this year, herdsmen at Sanusi Village, in Owo Local Government Area of the state, set the operational vehicle and motorcycles of the Security agency ablaze and thereafter ran away when the men of the corps visited the village following a distress call.
It was gathered that the distress call was about a fight that ensued between members of the vigilante group and some armed Fulani herdsmen, who allegedly destroyed the farmlands of the farmers in the village. But unfortunately, a farmer and one member of the vigilante group lost their lives in the battle before the men of the Amotekun corps arrived the village.
When the news hit the town that two people were killed while vehicle and motorcycles were burnt by the herdsmen in Sanusi Village, many thought it was members of the Amotekun Corps until the Public Relations Officer of the Corps, Mr Adebayo Ayeni cleared the air on the incident, saying the two killed were not Amotekun operatives. He however confirmed that the burnt vehicle and the motorcycle belonged to the corps.
Despite these achievements, the corps is still perceived as a lame duck by some people, who believe that it has not been able to stem the tide of kidnapping and banditry in the state, especially in the Northern Senatorial District where kidnapping is almost a daily occurrence. Since the inception of the Amotekun, last year, many kidnap cases had been recorded and victims freed after ransom.
One of the cases in point is the one involving Mr. Gbenga Ibikunle, who was kidnapped by some Fulani herdsmen for three days along Akure-Owo Expressway. Ibikunle said the Amotekun corps and other security agencies were nowhere to be found at the scene where he was kept by the abductors for three days but released after a ransom of N2 million without any effort from the security agencies to rescue him or apprehend the culprits.
Ibikunle said, “Throughout the horrific experience, we didn’t see anyone of them. I even felt that during the payment, security operatives ought to have laid ambush for the kidnappers as the ransom was paid along the highway. We didn’t come across any policeman or Amotekun corps or a soldier throughout. The police did not know how I got home until I went to the anti-kidnapping Squad to write a statement the following day.”
The right people are clearly not being recruited into the security agency. Many would love to see local hunters who can use native means to carry out their operations, recruited into the agency.
A source among the corps also admitted that the security outfit had not been able to perform up to expectations due to certain constraints particularly on the use of firearms and modern equipment to track the location of bandits.
The state Commander of the Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, listed insufficiency of personnel and equipment to operate as part of the drags of the Corps. He however noted that inspite of that inadequacy, through total commitment and dedication of his personnel, the corps had been recording successes. He added that none of his men had been so far lost or missing in the fight against insecurity in the state.
He said: “You know this is a new organisation. For now, the first major challenge has to do with manpower. Secondly, we want to be better equipped. The state government is trying, stretching itself to sustain us. We give kudos to them but we still want more. And to the Federal Government, we want them to empower us to be able to face the security challenges by providing the same kind of sophisticated weapons that is allowed for other security agencies.”
