Kwara killings: We’re at risk of bandit spillover — Adeleke urges police to unseal Amotekun office in Osun

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has warned that the worsening cases of banditry and kidnapping in neighbouring Kwara State could spread into Osun if the police continue to seal the offices of the state’s Amotekun Corps.

The governor urged the Nigeria Police Force to immediately lift the ban on Amotekun operations, saying the outfit is critical to Osun’s security response, particularly in rural and border communities vulnerable to criminal infiltration.

A statement issued on Friday in Osogbo by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, said Adeleke was reacting to a recent abduction in the Ora-Igbomina area of the state.

According to the governor, Osun is currently “handicapped in its security response” because Amotekun offices have remained sealed, while top officers of the corps have been detained without trial for several months.

Adeleke said the Amotekun Corps has developed specialised expertise in addressing security threats in grassroots and border areas, adding that the continued shutdown of its operations has created a security vacuum now being exploited by criminals.

He called on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to either charge the detained Amotekun operatives to court over the alleged killings in the Akinlalu community or release them, while also demanding the immediate unsealing of the corps’ offices across the state.

According to the governor, any further delay could put rural populations at serious risk and expose Osun to increased criminal activities spilling over from neighbouring states.

“I am taking this matter to the public domain in view of another kidnapping at Ora-Igbomina. Closing down Amotekun exposes the Osun people to serious risks,” Adeleke said.

“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. Any further delay in the unsealing of Amotekun will further jeopardise the safety and security of our people.”

Amotekun has been largely absent from Osun’s security architecture since allegations that some of its operatives invaded the Akinlalu community, during which residents were reportedly shot dead.

It was gathered that at least three residents were killed during the incident on September 30, 2025.

Following the development, some operatives of the corps, including its state commander, Adekunle Omoyele, were arrested by the police and transferred to Abuja.