Gov. Makinde; the last hope for Oyo State Amotekun operatives -By Segun Adebowale

Ever since the time His Excellency Seyi Makinde is known to me he has never be insensitive to a sensitive matter that is backwardly affecting the development of Oyo State Amotekun corps personnel, as he (the Governor) and Oyo State Member of House of Assembly are doing with the personnel development in the Oyo State Amotekun. Actually, I don’t know Seyi Makinde’s relationship with the Oyo State Commandant; Colonel (rtd) Olayinka and I don’t want to know, but you are strongly advise never to use the Oyo State Amotekun corps personnel development and professionalization of the administration in the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) to tie or knot the rope, which I strongly believe shall soon be cut-off, if both of you failed to desist from your decision of ruling the State Security outfit unprofessionally.

The more delay your quick and positive response to this clarion call of professionalizing the administration of the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) so as to put a stop to the unprofessional and maladaptive administration that against the Oyo State Amotekun corps personnel development as compared to Ondo, Ogun, Ekiti and Osun States Amotekun corps, your failure as elected Governor and the impotent Oyo State House of Assembly Members in dealing with your appointed members (i.e the Oyo State Amotekun Board of Governance and Oyo State Amotekun Commandant,) in the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) who are running a State own Security outfit as if it were their private Security outfit, shall not fail to let the Oyo State citizens know how best you value education.

I was highly enraged when learnt that the Oyo State Security Network Agency is having Phd and Master Degree holders among the operatives who are currently serving under Oyo State Amotekun operatives that can neither read nor write. This and others unprofessional organizational structure dropped tear of anguish from me when I saw two Ondo State Amotekun corps operatives fully dressed with their respective rank hung on their shoulder, I was embarrassed when I sighted my State Amotekun operatives without rank or signal on their uniform. Honestly speaking, Colonel Olayinka who has no scruple about lying is just running the affairs of the Oyo State Security Network as his own personal Organization since nobody to check or call him to order from his disorderliness administration.

Let me start by appreciate the propaganda of the Oyo State Amotekun State Commandant; Colonel Olayinka who rendered my report on the on-going Oyo State Amotekun recruitment, that OPCs MAY HIJACKED AND DOMINATE THE APPOINTMENT AS A FAKE NEWS, toward having a just and egalitarian Oyo State Amotekun recruitment, I have done my part by revealing the ongoing plans of the State 2ic Akinro and colonel Olayinka in OPClizing the Oyo State Amotetkun recruitment, as am writing now the OPC names have been submitted to the State 2ic of Oyo Sate Amotekun Akinro, with a bribe of Twenty thousand naira (N 20,000) upward from each Local Government Council. Actually, none of Oyo State Amotekun operatives is having problem with the OPC members in Oyo State Amotekun, is only that Colonel Olayinka and his 2ic Akinro are just using the OPC members to cause problems so as to execute their evil intent of defrauding the Oyo State Government. Any OPC members having required educational qualification should be given appropriate rank and position ascribed to the certificate holding as or would be required by the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) as it done for the Ondo State Amotekun operatives. The Oyo State Government and the Amotekun Board of Governance can now choose between fake news alarm raised by Colonel Olayinka the Oyo State Amotekun commandant and an authenticated and reliable facts of OPC intention and unethical practices in Oyo State Amotekun and their plans on the on-going recruitment exercise in Oyo State Amotekun corps. Have done my part, had I known has left my dictionary on Oyo State Amotekun issues. My conscience is absolutely free from guilty.
Likewise, at Oluyole fm, the Oyo State Amotekun commandant; Colonel (rtd) Olayinka discussed the attribute of citizens to consider for the Oyo State Amotekun recruitment as a person with local / traditional (juju) powers, this I don’t dispute but is only that his (Olayinka) idea is not rooted in the Oyo State Amotekun Law 2020. As it is stated in the Law, though silently, both Christians, Muslims and traditionalist are eligible to apply and get recruited, none of the section of the Law is based on possession of Local / traditional (juju) powers, which the Oyo Amotekun’s commandant is rating as a major criterion, the only section where LOCAL is used is in section 6 (h) quotes thus “prevent highway crimes and any other criminal activities by way of LOCAL INTELLIGENCE gathering and use of technology;” it is imperative that for an offender or an accused person to be criminally responsible for his acts or omission, there must be proof beyond reasonable doubt. Can the Oyo State Amotekun Board of Governance explain to the general public where in the Amotekun constitution 2020, juju / super-natural power is stated as criteria for operatives’ selection and leadership? Can the Agency gives some instances where traditional / juju power had been used to detect crimes? If there is any, of what reliability, validity and acceptable is juju and traditional instrument used is acceptable in prosecuting the suspected criminals at court of Law and complied with the Nigeria Evidence act?

The Oyo State Security Network Agency and Oyo State Government has turned to an Agency where criminals are honored. Most of all Oyo State Amotekun corps coordinators, 2ics and operational leaders especially the OPCs usually use the Oyo state Amotekun patron van to vend and smoke marijuana (Igbo). During my investigation it was revealed that one coordinator was given award of best coordinator on November 18th, 2021 at Oyo State Amotekun one year anniversary. What qualifies the coordinator as best coordinator? Is it because he is an OPC member and Akinro’s boy? The coordinator does not deserve it because he commited a lot of atrocities at Egbeda and at Iwo Road on the name of Oyo State Amotekun He is one of the Oyo State Amotekun coordinators in LGA that normally takes AMOTEKUN patrol van to vend India hemp (marijuana or Igbo) and act as a thug and taut, the police within Egbeda can testify to most of the criminal activities before the coordinator becomes Oyo State Amotekun operatives which still continue up till date. Based on system of Oath taking adopted for the Oyo State Amotekun corps operative in Oyo on the 16th November,2021, can the Oyo State Amotekun commandant Colonel Olayinka and his 2ic Akinro swear with god of ogun that there is no OPC’s interest in the Oyo State Amotekun’s administration?

It is unfair and shameful that Colonel (rtd) Olayinka, his 2ic Akinro and the Oyo Amotekun Board of Governance are maltreating, prejudicing or discriminating against the educated Amotekun operatives in the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) with no organ or institution to check and balance the activities of the Oyo State Board of Governance, the Commandant and his 2ic gratuitous treatment of Oyo State Amotekun operatives, which is contrary to the provision of Article 23 of the Oyo State Amotekun Law (2020). Examples of the gratuitous treatment in Oyo State Amotekun are
The basic salary for Oyo State Amotekun operatives (salary slasher / analysis table) is not known to operatives, this account for defrauding / misappropriation of December 2020 Oyo State Amotekun operatives’ salary by Colonel Olayinka and his administrative team.

Useless of educational certificate of few Oyo State Amotekun Operatives by placing and subjecting them (the O’ level, NCE, ND, HND, B.sc, M.sc and PhD) to CONDESCENSION.

Outright refusal of the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) to put into use the year 2020 Oyo State Amotekun’s law, which the refusal is to the detriment of Oyo State Amtekun operatives but to the benefit of the greedy Commandant and his lead administration.

Defiant refusal to structuralized and standardize (in terms of rank/grading, etc) the Oyo State Amotekun corps operative in line with Ondo State, Ekiti State, Ogun State and Osun State Amotekun operatives.
Lack of code of conduct and operational manual which shall go a long way to check the conduct / behaviors of all Oyo State Amotekun’s operatives in each Local Governments and the headquarter so as to reduce administrative bottle neck problems presently facing the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun).

The Oyo State Amotekun operatives were issued Oyo State Health Insurance Agency reflecting civil Servant Registration form but as civil servants, are the Amotekun operatives not entitle to appointment letter and grade level as practice in the Oyo State Civil Service commission?

The Oyo State Commandant and the Board of Governance run amok the affairs of the Oyo State Security Network Agency. For the Oyo State Government to curtail this act, the provision of Article 23 of the Oyo State Amotekun’s Law should be uphold, so as to check all excessive and uncontrollable behaviors of Colonel Olayinka and his leading teams in the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun).

The act of wanton ruling in the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) by Colonel Olayinka, 2ic Akinro and the Amotekun Board of governance has prevented the issue of financial accountability as specifies in Article 32 of Oyo State Amotekun Law 2020 that “The Agency shall prepare at the end of each financial year, statements of its accounts which shall be audited by the Auditor- General of the State”. Based on the above law provision, the Oyo State Government should instruct the Oyo State Anti-corruption agency to investigate commandant Olayinka and his leading team in the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) to account for the sum of Three Hundred and Ninety Six Million (N 396, 000,000.00) collected from the 33 Local Governments, One million (N1, 000,000.00) naira per month, from the Month of April 2021 to April 2022. This and other deals in Oyo State Amotekun resulted in purchase of fifteen Million Naira (N 15, 000,000.00) car which the Oyo State Commandant Colonel Olayinka could not afford to buy for himself for almost 35 years spent in the Nigeria Army. It was revealed that the Oyo State Amotekun Corps operatives were not paid training allowance, is this failure emanated from the Oyo State Government or got diverted by the Oyo State Amotekun Board of Governance and the Amotekun’s commandant?

“After spending all these years studying various courses, it is now time to test how prepared you are in practical terms and how equipped you are to face real-life situations. So I am going to ask are you ready to face the real world?” this is a rhetorical question asked by His Excellency Governor Seyi Makinde the executive Governor of Oyo State during the 14th Convocation Service for the LAUTECH graduating Students, the answer to this question asked is a capital YES. The Oyo State Educated Youths are ever ready to practice and apply what have learnt in Universities to develop the State, if given the opportunity. Let me also asked His Excellency Eng Seyi Makinde are you ready to create the opportunity for these set of graduate? I want to believe your answer would be affirmative. In the light of this, let the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) be Standardized its operation and administration in line with the Oyo State civil service commission standard, so as to give chance to the Phd, Msc, Bsc, NCE, HND, ND and SSCE holders who in their resilient effort are fortunate to be part of Oyo State Amotekun operatives, these set of individual has vision, mission and good objective to serve Oyo State.

The Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) establishing Law 2020 is nothing but a paradox, an ironic representation of what the Oyo State Government and the Oyo State House of Assembly want the Oyo State Amotekun Board of Governance to execute and the metaphoric instrument authoritatively given to Colonel (rtd) Olayinka to technically discard to use, so as to set the wheel of Oyo State backwardness in motion by adopting the greedy principles of the 11th Commandment of self satisfaction and gratification for amassing and conversion of public wealth for personal use as against the principle of Biblical ten commandment that is good for all and sundry as contained in the Oyo State Amotekun’s Law 2020.

In conclusion, I entreat Professor Oyelowo Oyewo (SAN) the Attorney General of Oyo State to advice the Oyo State Governor Eng Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State House of Assembly, Oyo State Amotekun Board of Governance, The Oyo State Security Netwok Agency (Amoteku), CP (rtd) Owoseni the Oyo State Special Adviser on Security and the Oyo State Amotekun Commandant Colonel (rtd) Olayinka by interpreting the Oyo State Amotekun Law 2020 so as to give chance to some pertinent section centered on Amotekun corps personnel development, that would lead to professionalism in the Oyo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) as it has done in Ondo State and other States of Western Nigeria Security Network.