Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has revealed that more than 200 operatives of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, have lost their lives while combating insecurity in the state.
According to TheCable on Sunday, Makinde disclosed this on Saturday during a visit to families of victims abducted from three schools in the Oriire axis of Ogbomoso on May 15.
The governor described the current security challenges as a collective crisis that requires unity and cooperation rather than political blame games.
“This is not the time to trade blame, whether it is federal, state or local government. This is just the time to pull together and rescue our children and their teachers,” Makinde said.
He assured the affected families that efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the abducted victims and bring perpetrators to justice.
“For those who have lost their lives, as God lives, their blood won’t go in vain. So please, I feel your pain… Anything that we can’t do, it won’t be because we can’t deploy the power in our hands,” he added.
Makinde acknowledged growing public frustration over insecurity in the state, including criticism directed at government policies such as restrictions on commercial motorcycle operations.
The governor, however, insisted that security agencies and local security outfits were making significant sacrifices in the fight against banditry, kidnapping and communal clashes.
Highlighting the toll on Amotekun personnel, Makinde said many operatives had paid the ultimate price in the line of duty.
“For the Amotekun corps, we have lost over 200 of them. You won’t know. They will go in, but 200 of them will never come back. May God help us put an end to the bloodshed in our state and country,” he said.
Speaking earlier at a PDP/APM political rally in Ibadan, the governor criticised delays in the establishment of state police, arguing that Amotekun was created as an alternative after repeated calls for decentralised policing were ignored by the federal government.
“We wanted state police. It was because we couldn’t get the state police that we established Amotekun,” Makinde said.
“Stop deceiving Nigerians on the matter,” he added while calling for urgent reforms to strengthen security architecture across the country.
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