By Our Correspondent
Two persons were allegedly shot dead by an officer of Oyo State Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, in Ibadan, last Thursday.
The Amotekun personnel, said to also be a member of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), was accused of killing two people in Isale Osi area of the city.
But a statement by the Amotekun Commandant in the state, Col. Olayinka Olayanju (rtd), denied that its operative fired the gunshot.
Olayanju explained that there was a crisis around Born Photo/ Isale Osi area, where the OPC faction of late Dr. Frederick Fasehun was trying to deal with some hoodlums.
He said Amotekun was invited and its operatives went there while returning from an operation where a Lebanese man was rescued from his abductors on December 15.
He said: “By the time we got there, we saw that the OPC members and the hoodlums were already exchanging gunfire, but our operatives and Operation Burst were able to bring the situation under control.
We arrested some suspects and handed them over to Operation Burst.
“After that had been settled, the hoodlums later gathered and attacked an OPC member, who is also a member of Amotekun in the area.
“In the earlier incident, while the exchange of gunshots was going on, one of the hoodlums was hit. However, he didn’t die on the spot. We learned he later died at home.
“So, the hoodlums regrouped and went to attack the OPC member, who is also an Amotekun operative in the area. He then called his OPC colleagues who came to his rescue. So, there was no time Amotekun shot at anybody… It is so unfortunate that some media organisations published that an Amotekun operative shot and killed some people.”
He added that an investigation was already ongoing to arrest the hoodlums.
Also speaking on the incident, the media consultant to Amotekun, Yemi Ogunseye, said: “It must be noted that the incident did not happen when the Amotekun operative was on official duty. So, it would be unfair to say that Amotekun shot someone.
“We only responded to a distress call by members of the community, when the hoodlums and OPC members were exchanging gunshots.”
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