…Current Commander Dismisses Claims as Politically Motivated
The pioneer Director-General of the Osun State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun, Amitolu Shittu, has accused the corps of recruiting individuals with criminal backgrounds, warning that such alleged infiltration could undermine public trust in the security outfit.
Shittu, who served under the administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, made the allegations during a media chat with journalists in Osogbo on Saturday. He claimed that the present Commander of the Osun Amotekun Corps, Brigadier-General Isaac Adekunle Omoyele (rtd), had compromised the agency’s integrity by admitting “cultists, ex-convicts, and drug users” into its ranks.
“The current State Commander of the Amotekun Corps recruited all manner of criminals into the outfit. Cultists, ritualists, ex-convicts, hard drug users, and dealers were taken into the corps and handed arms,” Shittu alleged. “They must be subjected to fresh profiling by the police and DSS. Many of them are now threatening residents across the state.”
The former DG accused the current leadership of “personalising” the agency’s operations, adding that some operatives were being deployed for duties outside the mandate of the law establishing the corps.
“Those recruits are now terrorising the state. Were they properly screened by the security agencies? The killings in Akinlalu are just one example of the crimes being committed by some members of Amotekun,” he said, calling for Omoyele’s immediate removal and prosecution.
He urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to institute a comprehensive review of all recent recruitments into the corps, stressing that “the integrity of Amotekun must not be compromised by political interests or poor oversight.”
However, the Osun Amotekun Commander, Brigadier-General Omoyele, through the corps’ spokesperson, Idowu Yusuf, dismissed the allegations as baseless and politically motivated.
“Calls for my removal are clearly driven by political bitterness and personal grievances. Our operations remain transparent and lawful,” Omoyele said in a statement.
He explained that the corps’ recruitment process involves rigorous screening, including physical fitness assessments, credential verification, medical checks, and endorsement from reputable guarantors such as traditional rulers, clerics, or senior civil servants.
“Our recruitment process is transparent and thorough. We uphold professionalism in all operations under Governor Adeleke’s administration,” the statement added.
The controversy follows the recent killings in Akinlalu, Ife North Local Government Area, where three residents were allegedly shot dead by Amotekun operatives — a development that has sparked widespread public concern over the conduct of the security outfit.
