About 20 operatives of the Amotekun Corps in Osun State have been arrested by a squad of the Nigeria Police Force in connection with the killings that occurred in Akinlalu, a community in Ife North Local Government Area, last week.
The operatives were reportedly picked up on Wednesday by a police team said to have been deployed from Abuja.
They were arrested at the Amotekun Operation Base in Oke Fia, Osogbo, and the Ife Central Division in Ile-Ife.
Sources said the police sealed off both locations after making the arrests. However, when journalists visited the Corps’ headquarters in the Powerline area of Osogbo around 7:40 p.m., the premises remained opened.
TheInterviews Nigeria Confirmed this arrests the arrests through Osun Amotekun spokesperson, Yusuf Idowu, that the police stormed two of their operational bases and took away several officers.
“Some policemen came, but they didn’t seal our headquarters. They raided our Oke-Fia base and the Ife Central Command. They also arrested about 20 of our operatives. The policemen said it was in connection with the Akinlalu incident, but we don’t know where they took them,” Idowu stated.
Efforts to reach Osun Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, for confirmation were unsuccessful as his phone lines were unreachable at press time.
The arrests came days after the alleged assassination attempt on the Osun State Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Mr. Isaac Omoyele. According to Amotekun officials, Omoyele was attacked by gunmen along Ikirun Road in Osogbo on Monday night.
Omoyele said he narrowly escaped death after gunmen opened fire on his vehicle around 10:05 p.m., riddling it with bullets. The attack was reported at the Ota-Efun Police Division.
Ojelabi, however, said the police had yet to begin an investigation, insisting that Omoyele must provide his bullet-riddled vehicle and other evidence before an inquiry could commence.
The latest development follows the Akinlalu incident, where Amotekun operatives were accused of killing three residents — Ibrahim Oyebamiji (26), Sefiu Oyebamiji, and Abiola Olutayo — during a raid on the community. Others injured in the attack were identified as Adeagbo Kadijat (22), Oke-Ila Oyebamiji (60), and Fayomi Toheeb (19).
Although Amotekun authorities admitted their operatives killed three people, they claimed it happened during a gun battle with hoodlums who had earlier seized two rifles from their officers.
Following public outrage, the Deputy Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, led a delegation to the Alakinla of Akinlalu, Oba Oluwabusola Oloyede, assuring the community that justice would be served.
“We appeal to the youths to remain calm and allow the investigation to take its course.
The state government and the police have already begun an inquiry, and justice will be delivered,” he said.