Residents of Itaapa, a town in Osun State, took to the streets on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, protesting what they called illegal arrests and harassment by officials of the Osun State Security Network, known as the Amotekun Corps.
The protest, which took place at the Osun Amotekun headquarters in Osogbo, brought traffic to a halt along the Osogbo/Kwara expressway.
The protesters, led by Chief Olusegun Owoeye, the Odofin of Itaapa, carried placards and chanted peacefully outside the security outfit’s compound. Amotekun officers, some of them armed, were seen keeping watch at the entrance of the facility as tensions ran high.
Chief Owoeye told reporters that Amotekun officials stormed their community days earlier and allegedly arrested two local security men and several traditional chiefs based on accusations he claimed were politically motivated.
Owoeye said, “We are here because of the bad attitude of Osun State Amotekun men that came to our community and started arresting our people and chiefs. They came to our community some days ago to pick up two of our security outfit men. They started arresting our chiefs and locked them up.
“Some people in the community gave Amotekun money so that they can assist them to make sure that they silence us in Itaapa. We are here for the release of our chiefs and security outfit men who were arrested. They should release them now. We are calling on the federal government, President Bola Tinubu, to come to our aid. We are for peace. We need Tinubu to give us freedom from Amotekun in Osun.
“The police in Atakumosa East is aware of this gang up by the Amotekun people. The community is deserted. Nobody is staying there again. We have left the community. The students who are writing WAEC have run for their lives.”
But when contacted for a reaction, Osun Amotekun State Commander, Mr. Isaac Omoyele, insisted that those arrested were criminals.
According to him, one of those arrested had a pump action rifle he got in Ibadan his base, adding that law would be applied against criminals regardless of their status.
“We arrested a suspect with a pump action rifle. He claimed to be a member of the vigilante in the State. The people he mentioned during investigation were also arrested and are being investigated.
“There is no need to drag politics into a pure criminal issue. We will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and ensure that Justice is dispensed in the case,” Omoyele said.
