Oyetola Inaugurates 360 Newly-recruited Amotekun Officers

Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, yesterday inaugurated 360 newly-recruited officers into the State Security Network Agency otherwise known as Amotekun Corps.

This followed the completion of the 23-day intensive training programme the personnel underwent as part of efforts to make them professionally savvy and prepare them for the task ahead.

Speaking at the passing-out-parade ceremony for the new Amotekun Corps officers held in Ejigbo, the governor stated that his administration commitment to security, safety and welfare of the people remained irrevocable.

He added that his administration had given security the prime position in the state, as it is critical to its development agenda and a strategy for revolutionising the state economy.

The governor charged the new Amotekun Corps personnel to display the highest level of professionalism, discipline, competence, integrity and Omoluabi ethos in the discharge of their duty to protect the people and the state.

He also implored the citizens and residents of the state to cooperate with the Corps operatives in order to make security management easy and peaceful.

“All Osun citizens must own the Corps and provide them with information that would help them to effectively protect us,” Oyetola added.

Speaking further, the governor said: “Amotekun is created to collaborate with the security agencies and the vigilante groups and hunters across the state in order to ensure security in a peaceful, harmonious and professional manner.

“Let me also remind you all that by the nature of Amotekun operations and network, yours is a complementary and collaborative security outfit. I, therefore, urge you to collaborate with your colleagues in neighbouring South-west states to keep our region and our people safe.

“Security is critical to our development agenda and a strategy for revolutionising the economy of the state. Consequently, you have a crucial role to play in attaining this noble objective. You must therefore secure the state with integrity, civility and a high sense of responsibility.

“Our state is known as a peaceful one. We all have a responsibility to sustain our ranking as the ‘Most Peaceful State in Nigeria’. It is on this note that I implore all the citizens of the state to cooperate with the Amotekun Corps operatives to make security management easy and peaceful so that we can deliver a strong and prosperous state.”

The governor commended security agencies in the state for their service to the state and assured them that the state government would continue to support them, while also encouraging them to collaborate with one another.

He disclosed that the state government had procured 20 security vehicles with communication gadgets to support security operatives in the discharge of their responsibility.

“We have also recruited 750 vigilantes across the state to provide intelligence on the activities and suspicious movements of criminals to the officials of Amotekun.

“We shall continue to provide all the equipment necessary for the successful prosecution of security and execution of the Amotekun project. We shall continue to strategise to deliver security to the state,” Oyetola added.

In his welcome address, the Chairman, Osun State Amotekun Corps, Brig. Gen. Ademola Aderibigbe (rtd), applauded the creation of the security outfit, which he described as a child of necessity to permanently stem the tide of insecurity in the state in particular and the South-west region in general.

Aderibigbe, who lauded the administration of Oyetola for his continued support to advance the security architecture in the state, expressed confidence in the new security formation to flush out criminals in the state, saying the era of zero tolerance for crime and criminality has begun.

In their separate remarks, the Senate spokesman, Ajibola Bashiru, and former Deputy Governor of the state, Iyiola Omisore, commended the governor on the tremendous achievements recorded in the area of security in the state.

They congratulated the Amotekun Corps on the successful completion of the training, which according to him, will bring about a competent, able and formidable local security network.