Adeleke Orders Full Probe into Akinlalu Killings as Osun Amotekun Faces Backlash

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has directed a comprehensive investigation into the recent killings of residents of Akinlalu Community in Ife North Local Government Area, allegedly carried out by operatives of the Amotekun Corps.

In a statement released on Saturday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor expressed deep shock over the deaths and has dispatched a high-powered delegation to the affected community to ascertain the facts surrounding the incident.

According to the statement, Adeleke received a preliminary report from his Special Adviser on Security Matters, followed by further briefings from the Deputy Governor and the state security team. A State Security Council meeting has been scheduled for Monday to deliberate on the matter and other emerging threats.

The governor vowed to ensure a transparent investigation and hold any culpable individuals accountable.
“I am a rule-of-law governor. Any infraction will be addressed within the ambit of the law,” Adeleke said, while expressing condolences to the victims’ families and urging residents to remain calm.

The official delegation to Akinlalu will include the Special Adviser on Security, several commissioners, the Attorney General, and heads of security agencies.

Meanwhile, the Omoluabi Progressives, a political group linked to former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, condemned what it described as “reckless shooting” by Amotekun operatives, calling the act “lawless and unprofessional.”

In a statement signed by the group’s Publicity and Organising Secretary, Oluwaseun Abosede, the group accused the Amotekun Corps of inflicting “needless loss of lives and trauma” on the community and demanded that the perpetrators be identified, prosecuted, and punished.

The group further urged the Adeleke administration to caution the Corps and compensate affected families, describing the killing of three members of a single family as “a calamity.”

The Osun State Police Command has also pledged to bring those responsible to justice. Its spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed that the Amotekun operatives involved had been identified, with some already on the run.

Residents of Akinlalu alleged that the security agents invaded the community without provocation, shooting indiscriminately and carting away the bodies of those killed.

However, the Amotekun Corps, in its own statement, claimed that the deaths resulted from a gun battle with armed hoodlums who had earlier ambushed its operatives and stolen service rifles during a rescue operation in the area.

The Corps said it recovered two stolen firearms and security uniforms during a subsequent operation, insisting the confrontation was provoked by an ambush from suspected assailants.

The state government has assured that justice will be served following the outcome of the investigation.