Three officers of the Ondo State chapter of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun Corps, have been suspended over alleged gross misconduct and actions that brought disrepute to the corps.
The State Commander of the corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, made this known while parading four suspected criminals at the command’s headquarters in Akure. He said the affected officers had also been declared wanted to enable a proper investigation into their activities.
According to Adeleye, preliminary investigations indicated that the suspended officers were allegedly sponsored to malign and discredit the command through social media platforms.
Similarly, no fewer than 20 operatives of the Osun State Amotekun Corps were recently arrested by a special squad of the Nigeria Police Force in connection with killings in Akinlalu, a community in the Ife North Local Government Area of the state.
The police team, reportedly deployed from Abuja, stormed the corps’ operational bases in Oke-Fia, Osogbo, and Ife Central Division, Ile-Ife, where they arrested the operatives and sealed the facilities.
Confirming the arrests, the spokesperson for Osun Amotekun, Yusuf Idowu, said the action was linked to the Akinlalu incident.
“Some policemen came, but they didn’t seal our headquarters. They burst our operation base in Oke-Fia and the Ife Central Command. They also arrested about 20 of our operatives. We don’t know where they took our personnel,” Idowu stated.
The Amotekun security outfit was established as a regional initiative in the Southwest to combat crimes such as kidnapping and banditry. It operates in Ogun, Oyo, Osun, and Ondo states, with Lagos relying instead on its Neighbourhood Watch corps.
