Insecurity: ‘Over 200 Amotekun officers killed’ – Seyi Makinde

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has revealed that over 200 operatives of the Amotekun Corps have been killed in the fight against insecurity in the state.

Makinde made the disclosure on Saturday when he visited families of pupils and teachers abducted from three schools in the Oriire axis of Ogbomoso on May 15.

The governor said the moment called for unity among all tiers of government, not blame-trading, as efforts continue to secure the release of the abducted victims.

“This is not the time to trade blame, whether it is federal, state or local government. This is just the time to pull together and rescue our children and their teachers,” Makinde said.

He assured the families that the government would continue to do everything within its power to rescue the victims.

“And for those who have lost their lives, as God lives, their blood won’t go in vain. So please, I feel your pain.

“Prof, I feel your pain. Please, have trust in us. Anything that we can’t do, it won’t be because we can’t deploy the power in our hands,” he added.

Makinde said he understood the frustration of residents over the worsening security situation, but noted that the government was still working despite public criticism.

“People will keep talking to you, saying the government is supposed to do this and that. But they have also been talking to me, saying all kinds of things. Some said we should ban Okada,” he said.

Speaking on the sacrifices made by security personnel, Makinde said many Amotekun operatives had paid the ultimate price while confronting criminals.

“For the Amotekun corps, we have lost over 200 of them. You won’t know. They will go in, but 200 of them will never come back. May God help us put an end to the bloodshed in our state and country,” the governor said.

The Amotekun Corps was established in January 2020 by the six South-West states to tackle insecurity, including kidnapping, banditry and farmer-herder clashes in the region.

Makinde also spoke about the creation of Amotekun at the joint mega rally of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Allied Peoples Movement in Ibadan.

He said the security outfit became necessary after it was clear that the push for state police would not immediately materialise.

“We wanted state police. It was because we couldn’t get the state police that we established Amotekun as a stop-gap,” he said.

The governor criticised the delay in the establishment of state police and urged the Federal Government to stop giving Nigerians false hope on the issue.