Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has raised the alarm over the spread of banditry and kidnapping into border communities of the state, calling on the Nigeria Police Force to immediately lift the seal placed on the Osun Amotekun Corps to strengthen local security response.
The governor’s call followed a fresh kidnapping incident in the Ora Igbomina area, a border community between Osun and Kwara states, which he described as a clear sign of growing security threats spilling into Osun from neighbouring states.
Adeleke said the continued closure of the state-owned Amotekun security outfit by the police has weakened Osun’s capacity to respond effectively to rural and border-area crimes, particularly banditry and abductions.
According to him, Amotekun operatives have developed specialised knowledge of the state’s rural terrain and border routes, making them critical to containing criminal movements in vulnerable communities.
“The shutting down of Amotekun operations has created a major security gap that criminals are now exploiting,” the governor said, stressing that Osun remains exposed as long as the corps is prevented from operating.
Adeleke also criticised the prolonged detention of top Amotekun officers by the police, noting that they have been held for several months without trial.
He called on the Inspector General of Police to either formally charge the detained officers to court or release them, warning that continued delay could further endanger residents, especially those in rural areas.
“I am taking this matter to the public domain in view of another kidnapping at Ora Igbomina. Closing down Amotekun exposes Osun people to serious risks,” Adeleke said after a closed-door security meeting.
“I call on the Inspector General of Police to unseal Amotekun and allow its operatives to secure my people across the grassroots. Those officers in detention should be charged to court after several months of incarceration,” he added.
The governor warned that failure to restore Amotekun’s operations could open Osun to deeper criminal infiltration, particularly along its borders with Kwara State.
Osun Amotekun, a regional security outfit established to complement conventional security agencies, has played a key role in intelligence gathering and community-based policing across the state, especially in hard-to-reach rural areas.
The police are yet to publicly respond to the governor’s call as of the time of filing this report.
The statement was issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed.
