Protest in Ondo as Amotekun allegedly kill Rufus Giwa Poly Student

• Students Give 24hrs Ultimatum To Fish Out Errant Officer
• Amotekun Commander Clears Air On The Protest

There was tension in Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, (RUGIPO) Owo, Ondo State as students protested the alleged killing of a student by operatives of the state Southwestern Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun Corps.

The Guardian learnt that the deceased, a National Diploma (ND) student of the Department of Science Laboratory Technology, identified as Folarera Ademola, was killed when the Amotekun personnel went to make arrests on June 27, 2022.

Reacting to the murder, the students trooped out in their hundreds in campus yesterday to express their grievances against the security outfit over the killing of their colleague.

The Students Union Government (SUG) President, Olorunda Oluwafemi, while confirming the incident, said the deceased was shot by an Amotekun corp in front of his parents’ house.

Oluwafemi said the protesting students would march from the school gate through the Palace of Olowo before taking the protest to Amotekun’s office to further express their grievance.

The students gave the state government a 24-hour ultimatum to hand over the officer to the Nigeria Police Force for proper prosecution, urging the state government to take charge of the deceased’s burial, and compensate the family.

The aggrieved students also marched with several placards to the Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, Akure, demanding justice for the deceased. But the state Commander of Amotekun Corps, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, cleared the air on the operation at the scene, absolving the corp of allegations bordering on high-handedness and brutality.

Adeleye said, “In its avowed determination to ensure that Ondo State is rid of criminal elements, the state Amotekun Corps is investigating the case of a syndicate that specialises in attacking Okada riders with dangerous weapons and dispossessing them of their motorcycles in the process.

“Luck however ran out of one of the syndicates who was given a hot chase into a building in Owo by men of the Amotekun Corps where other members of the gang were, met 15 men in the building, seven out of the men stacked naked inside the room filled with smoke.

“And four Okadas were also found inside the bedroom. After introducing themselves to the men, the men struggled to disarm the operative whose alarm attracted the other two outside.

“In an attempt to apprehend the suspect, they swung on men of the corps, trying to disarm them and in the course of the struggle, one of their riffles triggered off and hit one of the suspects and an Amotekun officer.”

Adeleye, who is also the Governor’s Special Adviser on Security Matters, disclosed, “At that instance none of them told Amotekun officers that they were students.” He confirmed that the incident occurred on June 27 and 28, 2022.

According to him, his men eventually overpowered the suspects, arrested and took them to the corps’ office in Owo where they were detained while investigation continued.

“He was released on health ground, promising to return to the corps custody to continue investigation. Surprisingly, the news of the death of the injured suspect filtered yesterday 11 days after the incident occurred.

“We sincerely register our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased while we continue with our in depth and thorough investigation to the real cause of his death,” he said.

The Ondo State Amotekun Corps, however, assured the public that it will work with stakeholders including NANS, the polytechnic community and family of the victim to ensure that justice is timely served.

The corps promised that it would not relent in its avowed determination to protect the residents of Ondo State in collaboration with other security agencies and sanitise the state of criminal elements terrorising the state.