FEATURE: Grief Deepens In Akinlalu After Amotekun’s Bloody Raid

• Tales of Sorrow: How Community Lost Four Promising Sons In One Swoop
• Survivors Lament Horror, Demand Unveiling Of Killers’ Identities
• Osun APC, Omoluabi Progressives Bash Osun Govt, Demand Full Probe
• As Adeleke Promises Justice, Sends Delegation To Akinlalu ‎

For years to come, the sleepy town of Akinlalu, a small community in Osun State, and the Oyebamiji family may not easily forget the events of Tuesday, September 30, 2025, when tragedy struck their peaceful existence.
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‎Located in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State, the agrarian community, known for its serenity and hardworking residents, was turned into a scene of chaos and bloodshed after an alleged assault by operatives of the Amotekun Corps, leaving three brothers and another youth dead, with several others grievously injured.
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‎The once-quiet village now bears the stains of sorrow with its air thick with grief, its silence broken only by the wails of mothers and the lamentations of fathers who watched their sons fall lifeless in a storm of bullets that no one saw coming. The blood-soaked ground now stand as haunting reminders of the horror that unfolded on that ill-fated day.
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‎Residents said the attack began without warning. On the ill-fated day, the sound of gunfire ripped through the stillness of the town, sending terrified villagers scampering into nearby bushes. By the time the smoke cleared, lives had been lost, dreams shattered, and a family reduced to complete shreds.
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‎Eyewitnesses recounted that the operatives arrived in the community in a convoy, shooting sporadically. Some victims were reportedly chased, cornered and shot at close range. Others, in their desperate bid to escape, fell by the roadside, with their lifeless bodies later retrieved by grieving relatives.
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‎When OSUN DEFENDER visited the community, the atmosphere was heavy with sorrow and grief. The once peaceful and close-knit town had become what residents described as a scene of horror. Bloodstains marked the spots where the victims fell, and the air still carried echoes of panic and mourning. Women clung tightly to their children in fear, while men stood helplessly, watching young lives cut short by those meant to protect them.
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‎The pain of the incident is felt most deeply in the Oyebamiji family, where three brothers — Ibrahim, Ismaila, and Sefiu, who in their prime were murdered in cold blood. Their deaths have thrown the entire household into mourning, leaving their stepmother, Mrs. Fausat Oyebamiji, struggling to come to terms with the loss.
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‎Speaking to OSUN DEFENDER, Mrs. Oyebamiji sobbed uncontrollably as she recalled the moments before the carnage.

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‎ “Ibrahim was humble, easygoing, and respectful — every youth in Akinlalu knew that. He was a barber and had just returned home after his father asked him to run an errand at the farm. That day, he gave me ₦2,500 for food for his younger siblings working on the farm,” she said, wiping her tears.
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‎“Ismaila was a bike rider. He heard his brother had been killed and rushed to confirm it. But as soon as the Amotekun youths from our community identified him as one of the ‘Aro boys’, they began shooting at him. He tried to hide inside Pa Makanju’s house, but they kept firing until a second bullet hit him. He died right there in front of Jelli’s shop,” she cried, her voice breaking with grief.
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‎Her anguish echoed that of the Aro of Akinlalu, a community leader and relative of the deceased, who said the incident threw the entire village into panic.

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‎“I was in my house when one of the boys, now dead, ran to inform me that Amotekun operatives were shooting at innocent people. Before I could make sense of it, we discovered that three of my brothers’ sons were already killed. The fourth person was from my mother’s side. It was chaos everywhere. The entire community was in disarray,” he recounted, his tone heavy with disbelief.
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‎– Survivors Recount Horror
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‎Isiaka Adeagbo, one of the survivors, spoke from his hospital bed, with his neck bandaged and voice faint.
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‎“We were in front of our house eating oranges when they came. They attacked us suddenly. One of them hacked me on the neck. We asked what our offence was, but they started shooting. My dad was hit by a bullet, and my younger brother was shot in the leg,” he said, struggling to sit upright.

‎‎Another survivor, Mrs. Ikeola Oyebamiji, a pepper seller, narrowly escaped death.

‎“I was attending to my wares in my shop when a bullet hit me in the head. I fell, bleeding, before some people rushed me to the hospital. They claimed they came to arrest robbers, but there was no such thing. We are harmless people. We don’t want them (Amotekun) in Osun again. They are supposed to protect us, not kill us,” she said bitterly.
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‎- Background to the Attack

‎According to the youth leader of Akinlalu community, Musibau Adeboye, the violence stemmed from an altercation between the Amotekun operatives and suspected robbers believed to be sons of a retired soldier.
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‎“We heard there was a robbery at Abaoba, near Akinlalu, involving the soldier’s sons. Amotekun operatives went after them but were overpowered, and their rifles were taken. They later returned with policemen, but the boys had fled. The corps then arrested the one boy’s wife and one of the mothers,” Adeboye narrated.

He added that despite his attempt to mediate, tragedy struck before peace could be restored.
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‎“The commandant in Ipetumodu called me the next morning, he briefed me about the incident and we exchanged contact with the hope that I’ll make my findings and give him a feedback. He assured me to carry on with my findings. I was still trying to make inquiries about the incident only for me to hear from the farm that there were gunshots in Akinlalu. By the time I got there, it was like a slaughterhouse — blood everywhere. It’s a day I will never forget,” he said grimly.

‎- Amotekun Corps Reacts

‎In its immediate reaction, the management of Osun Amotekun Corps confirmed that three people were killed during a clash between its operatives and suspected hoodlums in Akinlalu.

In the statement signed by its spokesperson, Idowu Yusuf, in Osogbo, on Tuesday, the corps said the hoodlums had ambushed its men who were responding to a distress call in Akinlalu, forcibly taking three rifles from them.
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‎Yusuf added that a backup team sent to the scene was also attacked at Akinlalu junction, resulting in a gunfight that left three people dead.
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‎“The incident occurred on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, and led to a deadly confrontation between the Corps and suspected armed hoodlums,” Yusuf said.
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‎”According to official reports, operatives were dispatched from the Amotekun Command in Ile-Ife following an emergency call from residents reporting that suspected bandits had invaded local farmlands. Four operatives mobilised on motorcycles to address the situation and ensure the safety of the community.
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‎“Tragically, while en route to Akinlalu, the team was ambushed by armed assailants, suspected to be the same group terrorising the community. During the sudden attack, two service rifles belonging to the Amotekun Corps were forcibly taken,” he continued.
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‎He further explained that reinforcement operatives were deployed to approach Akinlalu peacefully, including plans to pay a courtesy visit to the traditional ruler.
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‎“However, at the T-junction leading into Akinlalu, the road was barricaded by the assailants, who immediately opened fire, triggering a fierce gun battle that lasted over an hour. Despite the intensity, our operatives successfully overpowered the attackers. In the aftermath, three lives were confirmed lost, including individuals believed to be among the attackers. Three suspects were arrested, while several others sustained injuries and fled the scene.”

• Police Counter Amotekun, Pledges Thorough Investigation

In a swift response, the Osun State Police Command countered Amotekun’s release, stressing that it was actually the corps’ officials that invaded the community.

The police statement signed by DSP Abiodun Ojelabi explained that the police, while assessing conflicting reports from eyewitnesses and the security outfit, swung into an investigation on the matter.

Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan also promised to nab all culprits in the incident.

“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 vehicles 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 on 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), 26yrs, Sefiu Oyebamiji (m) and Abiola Olutayo (m) and their corpses were taken away by Amotekun operatives.

‎”On receipt of the report, Police operatives swiftly mobilized to the area, recovered thirteen (13) expended cartridges, and evacuated the injured victims to hospitals for medical treatment. The situation, which initially generated tension, was brought under control by the police as angry residents were persuaded not to take laws into their own hands.

“‎Given the conflicting reports, the Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command, CP Ibrahim Gotan, mnips has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Osogbo, which is the apex criminal investigative body within the state 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’s statement read.

• ‎ Osun APC, Omoluabi Progressives Bash Osun Govt, Demand Full Probe

Since the incident, various stakeholders in the state including political and socio-cultural groups as well as those in the civil society have lampooned the state government which supervises the activities of the Amotekun corps, alleging complicity in the crime.

In its opinion, Omoluabi Progressives described the killings as barbaric and showed lack of professionalism from the Amotekun operatives, saying the Osun State Government should be held responsible for the incident.

Abosede Oluwaseun, the group’s Organising and Publicity Secretary in the statement also demanded a full probe into the case, advocating justice for those whose lost their loved ones.

The statement reads in part, “It is most disheartening that Amotekun security outfit established to safeguard lives and property could descend into such a level of indiscriminate violence against the very citizens it is meant to defend.

“We hold the Osun State Government, under the leadership of Governor Ademola Adeleke, directly responsible for the misconduct of its employees. We, therefore, call on the government to immediately caution its Amotekun operatives, investigate this heinous incident, and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

“The sanctity of human life must never be treated with levity under any guise of security operations. To the good people of Akinlalu, we extend our heartfelt sympathy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost their loved ones, the injured, and all residents who have been thrown into fear and mourning.

“We demand that justice be served to those who lost their loved ones; that those who are receiving treatment in hospitals be given the best medical care; that families whose property were destroyed and looted by the rampaging operatives be adequately compensated; and, most importantly, that the perpetrators of this heinous act be identified, prosecuted, and brought to book without delay.”

Similarly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State berated the development, demanding the overhaul and restructuring of the Amotekun Corps.

It also carpeted the Ademola Adeleke administration for failing to visit the affected community more than five days after Tuesday’s extra-judicial killing, stating that such incidents affirm its position that the government is ready to unleash violence on its political opponents ahead of the 2026 governorship election.

Osun APC Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Olabisi in a statement yesterday said, “How could it take the state government five clear days to plan a physical visit to a part of the state, that is just an hour’s drive to the seat of government, where state agents in uniforms have been accused of shooting to death citizens no fewer than ten in number?

“It is disappointing to note that Governor Adeleke only reacted, with a poorly written press statement though, to the gory incident at Akinlalu days after he was called out by our party and prominent citizens.

“We, as a party, are registering our dissatisfaction towards the extra-judicial killings of the innocent persons in Akinlalu for whatever reason and are calling for proper and meticulous handling of the incident by the statutory security services.

“Our party now seems to have been vindicated given the fact that we registered our protest against the appointment of a controversial former Chief Security Officer of Governor Adeleke, Mr Adekunle Omoyele, as head of the Amotekun Corps as well as the mass recruitment of political hoodlums into the supposed peace-keeping para-military security service.

“Under the leadership of the ruthless and pungently partisan Omoyele, the Osun Amotekun is daily becoming a ready and willing tool for political victimisation and oppression.

“Therefore, for the people to regain confidence in the outfit, there is an urgent need for a drastic reformation of the para-military force for it to operate with verifiable civility as it is the case in the other states in the South-West geo-political zone of the nation, and this should start with sacking of the heavily indicted Omoyele and prosecution of the Amotekun operatives responsible for the pogrom in Akinlalu some days ago,” Olabisi stressed further.

• As Adeleke Promises Justice, Sends Delegation To Akinlalu

Governor Ademola Adeleke has despatched top-level government delegation to Akinlalu over recent killings involving the Amotekun security outfit just as the state government has launched full investigation into the matter.

Governor Adeleke, in a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, expressed deep shock at the deaths of some individuals from the town after receiving a preliminary report from his Special Adviser on Security Matters.

Rasheed said, “After receiving the preliminary report, further briefings were presented to the Deputy Governor by the security team with a State Security council meeting now scheduled for Monday, to further deliberate on the issue and other emerging security threat in the state.

“Meanwhile, Governor Adeleke has vowed to dig into the root of the fatal encounter between the people of the town and the Amotekun security service, directing that a high powered delegation of government and service chiefs will visit the affected town after the scheduled state security council meeting on Monday.

“Those expected on the delegation includes the Special Adviser on Security Matters to the state governor, the Commissioner for Information, the Commissioner for political affairs, the Commissioner for Transportation, the Attorney General of the State, the Special Adviser on Legal Matters to the governor and service chiefs of the various security agencies.”

• A Community in Mourning

As the Oyebamiji family bury their dead, the people of Akinlalu are demanding justice. They said the killings were unprovoked and must not be swept under the carpet. The once peaceful community now stand with fear, mourning and the growing mistrust between citizens and those meant to protect them.