Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, says over 200 operatives of Amotekun have been killed in the state.
Makinde spoke on Saturday when he visited the families of
victims abducted from three schools in the Oriire axis of Ogbomoso on May 15.
The governor described the moment as one for unity rather
than blame, urging all tiers of government to work together two secure the
release of the abducted students and their teachers.
“This is not the time to trade blame, whether it is federal,
state or local government. This is just the time to pull together and rescue
our children and their teachers,” he said.
“And for those who have lost their lives, as God lives,
their blood won’t go in vain. So please, I feel your pain.
“Prof, I feel your pain. Please, have trust in us. Anything
that we can’t do, it won’t be because we can’t deploy the power in our hands.”
He added that public frustration over insecurity was
understandable, but insisted government efforts were ongoing despite criticism.
“People will keep talking to you, saying the government is
supposed to do this and that. But they have also been talking to me, saying all
kinds of things. Some said we should ban Okada,” he said.
Makinde also highlighted the sacrifices of Amotekun
operatives in the fight against insecurity.
“For the Amotekun corps, we have lost over 200 of them. You
won’t know. They will go in, but 200 of them will never come back. May God help
us put an end to the bloodshed in our state and country,” he said.
Amotekun Corps was established in January 2020 by the six
south-west states to tackle insecurity, including banditry, kidnapping, and
farmer-herder clashes in the region.
Speaking on Saturday at the joint mega rally of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and the APM in Ibadan, Makinde had said the initiative
was created early in his tenure after it became clear that full state police
powers were not forthcoming.
“We wanted state police. It was because we couldn’t get the
state police that we established Amotekun as a stop-gap,” he said.
The governor also criticised delays in establishing state
police, urging the federal government to “stop deceiving Nigerians” on the
matter.
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