Osun Amotekun on Fire over sudden 29million disappearance

Enoch Oyedibu

 

There is crisis in the Osun State chapter of the South-West’s security network, popularly known as Amotekun, over the mismanagement of over N29million given to the outfit.

 

 

Already, the local hunters in the state had pulled out of the security outfit, alleging financial impropriety.

 

Nureni Hammed, the state Coordinator of the hunters, under the umbrella of the Hunters Group of Nigeria, addressed newsmen in Osogbo on Thursday.

 

According to the newsmen, Hammed said its members jointly agreed they were short-changed to the tune of N29million by the Osun Amotekun’s leadership during and after last year’s lockdown in the state.

 

While demanding for the outstanding balance, he said the group was committed to ensuring adequate security of lives and property of the state, but could not operate under the present leadership of Amotekun in the state.

 

“We are unequivocally committed to working with other security agencies to protect the state against criminals. We swore on oath to do that but we cannot work with Amotekun to achieve those objectives.

 

“During the lockdown that was necessitated by Covid-19 pandemic and the EndSARS protest, we mounted several border patrol, as well as maintain peace across the state.

 

“Eventually, the state government released N44million to pay our personnel for the services as Amotekun ad hoc staff. But we only got N15million. The then leader is still within the present leadership and we cannot trust the leadership to work towards the same objective with us because they are not under traditional oath as us,” he said.

 

Efforts to get a reaction of Amotekun Corps Commandant in the state, Brigadier-General Bashir Adewinmbi, proved abortive.

 

He neither picked calls to his phone line nor responded to a text message sent to him on the incident.