Pain, Agony As Amotekun Allegedly Kills 4, Injures 9 In Osun
- As Father Loses Three Children To Incident
THE family of Mr Oyebamiji of Akinlalu community in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State has been thrown into eternal sadness following the killing of his three children, allegedly by operatives of the state Security Network codenamed Amotekun Corps.
The victims – Ibrahim, Sefiu, and Ismaila Oyebamiji were allegedly shot dead by operatives of the Osun Amotekun when they stormed the village on Tuesday.
Apart from three people, one other person, Abiola Olutayo, was reported to have also been killed, with many others sustaining gunshot injuries, in an incident that had shaken the town.
Other people who sustained injuries during the incident were: Olutayo Abiola, Olutayo Omotosho, Fayomi Sheriff, Odefunke Alabi, Badmus Folorunso, Omoboriowo Abiodun, Oyebamiji Ikeoluwa, Adeagbo Isiaq, and Adeagbo Kadijat.
Although the Amotekun Corps claimed the victims were among the armed hoodlums who attacked its operatives on their way to the community, eyewitness accounts said the victims were innocent residents who were killed without justification.
Osun Amotekun Corps spokesperson, Yusuf Idowu, had in a statement on Tuesday, said operatives were attacked on their way to respond to a distress call from residents of the community.
The statement noted that the residents had earlier reported that a group of suspected bandits had invaded farmlands in the area.
Yusuf said the Amotekun team was ambushed by the armed assailants on their way to the community.
Idowu noted that the Amotekun Corps engaged the armed hoodlums in a deadly confrontation, adding that three people died during the incident.
He said, “However, at the T-junction leading into Akinlalu, the road was found barricaded by the assailants, who immediately opened fire on the operatives, triggering a fierce gun battle that lasted for over an hour.
“Despite the intensity of the attack, the Amotekun operatives successfully overpowered the assailants. In the aftermath of the encounter, three lives were confirmed lost, including individuals believed to be among the attackers. Three were arrested while several others sustained injuries and fled the scene,” the statement noted.
OSUN DEFENDER reliably gathered that the issue started on Monday when some farmers in ‘Aba Oba’, a village around Akinlalu, alerted the Amotekun Corps that they had apprehended some thieves who stole their cocoa.
The Amotekun Corps, according to sources, went to apprehend the suspected thieves, and on their way to Akinlalu, the suspected thief dragged a gun with two of the security personnel, injuring one of them in the process.
Following the incident, OSUN DEFENDER gathered that some people from Akinlalu went to the Amotekun office in Ife to check on the injured personnel and they were told everything was in order.
However, the Amotekun personnel stormed the community on Tuesday in three vehicles and shot sporadically, killing people in the process.
Speaking in a video obtained by OSUN DEFENDER, Mr Oyebamiji, who struggled to fight back tears, narrated how his children were killed.
According to him, “I came back from the farm with my child. When we got home, he said he was hungry and I gave him money to go and buy what he would eat.
“The Amotekun Corps members who came to the town met him where he was buying biscuits and shot him.
“Someone came to call me at home that they’ve killed my child. I rushed there with his brother. On getting to the scene, the Amotekun shot at us but their bullets couldn’t penetrate me. They used a cutlass on my body.
“I didn’t know that my third son had already been killed by the Amotekun Corps as soon as they entered the town.”
The bereaved father urged the state government to ensure justice for his children, calling for the prosecution of all the people involved in the incident.
“All I want now is true justice. My child’s death should not be in vain. My children were easygoing. They don’t have anyone.”
One of the injured people who spoke in the video, Olujide Akinfenwa, said he was shot while coming from work by the Amotekun operatives.
He said, “I was coming back from work on my motorcycle when the Amotekun personnel shot at me. I was rescued at the hospital with eight bullets removed from my body.”
Mr Nurudeen Adeagbo, whose two children sustained gunshot injuries, said, “My children were eating inside our house when the Amotekun personnel came in.
“I asked them what they were looking for but they didn’t say anything. They only shot at my two children. One was shot at the abdomen while the other was shot on the arm”
Meanwhile, the Osun State Police Command said it has launched an investigation into the matter.
According to a statement by the Osun Police spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, “Information received from Chief Oyebamiji Kamorudeen of Akinlalu that, members of Western security network also known as Amotekun came in large numbers and invaded Akinlalu community with their two official patrol and one private vehicle in retaliation for the two pump action guns earlier allegedly snatched from their operatives by yet to be identified person(s).
“During the invasion, they shot sporadically, which caused serious bullet injuries to the following people, namely: Adeagbo Kadijat ‘f’ 22yrs, Oke-Ila Oyebamiji ‘f’ 60yrs, and Fayomi Toheeb m 19yrs. It was further alleged that three persons lost their lives during the shooting, namely: Ibrahim Oyebamiji (m), 26 years, Sefiu Oyebamiji (m), and Abiola Olutayo (m) , and their corpses were taken away by Amotekun operatives.
Ojelabi said the Osun Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Osogbo, for a discreet and thorough investigation.
“All claims and counterclaims — including allegations of murder, assault occasioning harm, gun snatching, wounding, and impersonation — will be carefully verified to establish facts and ensure justice,” Ojelabi assured.
Kazeem Badmus is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience. A professional in journalism and media writing, Kazeem prioritses accuracy and factual reportage of issues. He is also a dexterous finder of the truth with conscious delivery of unbiased and development oriented stories.
