Controversy trails killing of student allegedly by Amotekun

Controversy has trailed the killing of Akolade Gbadebo, a 400-level student of the University of Ibadan by a suspected member of the Oyo State security agency codenamed Amotekun Corps.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Gbadebo was shot while students at a UI campus affiliated with the Federal College of Education in Oyo town were having fun around 10:30 p.m. last Thursday at Atiba.

Students who witnessed the incident told our correspondent that the victim died from the gunshot wound immediately.

The victim’s younger brother, Habeeb Gbadebo, told our correspondent that the matter was reported at the Atiba Police Divisional Headquarters but they did not take any action.

“By the time we reported the matter at Iyanganku at the state police headquarters, we were told that Amotekun reported the matter as robbery case. All Amotekun guys are doing is to twist the case but we won’t take that. My brother’s life matters.”

In his reaction, the Chairperson of the Joint Campus Committee of National Association of Nigerian Students in Oyo State, Mayowa Opakunle, in a press conference on Wednesday, asked the government to take decisive action on the alleged action of the Amotekun operatives.

“We want the police to investigate the matter thoroughly and Governor Seyi Makinde said during the inauguration that he should be held responsible for any crime committed by Amotekun because he is their overall boss,” he said.

Amotekun, police keep mum

For two days, this newspaper made efforts to speak with the police and Amotekun on the alleged murder but they did not respond to our correspondent’s enquiries.

The spokesperson of Amotekun corps in the state, Ayolola Adedoja, did not respond to calls and text messages.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Olugbenga Fadeyi, claimed not to be aware of the shooting.

He promised to find out about the matter and get back to this newspaper but he never did two days after.

He has since not responded to subsequent calls and text messages.

Governor not responsive

This newspaper also made efforts to hear from Governor Makinde but did not get a response from him.

Mr Makinde’s Chief Press Secretary, Taiwo Adisa, did not respond to calls and a text message asking if the alleged action of the operatives has been brought to the knowledge of his principal.

He did not also respond to the question of whether any action would be taken to curb future occurrence.

Southwest students kick

Not pleased with the long silence of Mr Makinde since last Thursday, the South-west zone of NANS in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES by its spokesperson, Kazeem Israel, said the governor should be held accountable.

“We are most angered by the fact that the Governor of Oyo State has given violence too much time to thrive in the state without any attempt to control the excesses of this security outfit. We are directing our anger at the Governor because he has explicitly declared during the inauguration of this outfit that he should be held accountable for the activities of the Amotekun operatives and we must state categorically that their conducts since establishment smacks logic and outrightly negate the rule of law.

“Governor Seyi Makonde is undoubtedly exhibiting the characteristics of a failure by allowing the Hobbesian State of nature to gain full ground in a State he is the CSO most especially by a security outfit that is under his direct supervision and control.”

The students said they would not tolerate extra-judicial killings in Oyo.

“So, before we totally descend to a state of perpetual anarchy, Governor Seyi Makinde and his acolytes must do the needful in addressing security challenges confronting the people of the State most especially by erasing touts from the apparatchiks of the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun.”

“On a final note, we demand that a judicial panel be constituted to investigate the activities of Amotekun in the state most especially the recent murder of a 400Level student of Federal College of Education, Oyo (Special) affiliated to University of Ibadan and the violence meted on executives of NANS/JCC, Oyo axis amongst others.”