From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Commander of Amotekun in Osun State, Adekunle Omoyele, yesterday said the state is in synergy with neighbouring states to curb the influx of terrorists from other parts of the country.
Speaking at the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osogbo, Omoyele attributed the mining sites in Ijesaland to the influx of suspected terrorists among who were arrested recently, noting that plans have been perfected with Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo and Ogun states to tackle the criminals.
He disclosed that Governor Ademola Adeleke has made provision for Amotekun in the 2025 budget, even as he promised to empower the Corps to perform better.
Though Omoyele lamented shortage of personnel to mobilise for the job of securing people, he promised to use the available resources to flux criminals out of the state.
Reacting to the agitation for state policing, Omoyele dismissed the fear that the police would be abused by politicians, saying that the benefit of state policing transcend the fear that greeted it.
He posited that the law that will guide its creation would take care of the fear being expressed by people, noting that the benefit deserves to be given attention than the fear.
On the allegation that Amotekun uses spiritual power to combat crime, Omoyele said the criminals are not relenting in using whatever they have to cause havoc to the people, hence the need to prepare for them.
“The only thing I know is that we have our men divided according to their training and capabilities to face criminals in all forms because the criminals also prepare with everything they have.
“Some of us rely on Psalm and some rely on Quran. If we have anybody that prepares to face criminals with spiritual preparation, it would not be a crime,” Omoyele said.