Gov Aiyedatiwa targets stronger, better-equipped Amotekun Corps

………Says security key to development

………Be protectors, not oppressors, Adeleye tells new recruits

By Precious Oluwole

Ondo State Governor, Dr Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has emphasized his administration’s commitment to enhancing the welfare, capacity and operational support of Amotekun personnel through better logistics, improved equipment, strengthened intelligence coordination and continuous training.

The Governor made this emphasis at the passing out parade of the Batch 05 (BR05) of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps, held at the Gani Fawehinmi Arcade ground, Akure.

The Governor noted that the newly trained officers represent not just an increase in personnel but a significant reinforcement of the state’s security framework.

He expressed confidence in the future of security in the state, declaring that the newly inducted operatives had undergone rigorous and comprehensive training designed to equip them for the realities of modern community policing and intelligence-led operations.

“You came here as civilians; you are leaving as guardians of our homeland, ambassadors of lawful authority and custodians of community trust”.

The Governor stressed that the decision to consistently invest in the Amotekun Corps was driven by strategic foresight rather than political considerations, emphasizing that security remains the foundation for development.

“No society can prosper where fear reigns. No economy can thrive where lives and property are unsafe. No government can legitimately claim success if it abdicates its primary responsibility of protecting its people,” he said.

He noted that the Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun Corps, was conceived as a community-rooted, intelligence-driven and law-guided institution designed to complement federal security agencies while addressing peculiar local security challenges.

 

According to him, the BR05 operatives underwent training in physical conditioning, tactical field operations, grassroots intelligence gathering, inter-agency cooperation, rules of engagement, human rights, civic responsibility and the ethical values rooted in the Yoruba Omoluabi ethos.

While charging the new Amotekun corps members to carry out their duties with discipline and restraint, the Governor warned against abuse of power, reminding them that they are agents of the law and not above it.

“The strength of Amotekun does not lie in brute force alone. It lies in professional restraint, intelligence-led operations, community trust and the sanctity of the Omoluabi ethos,” he stated.

Governor Aiyedatiwa assured that his administration would continue to enhance the welfare, logistics, equipment, and operational capacity of the Corps through sustained investment and training.

He commended the leadership of the Agency, particularly the Corps Commander, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, for professionalism and resilience in steering the affairs of the Corps.

He also acknowledged the collaboration of security partners, traditional rulers, and community stakeholders in supporting the outfit.

The Governor urged the newly inducted officers to defend peace, uphold justice and protect lives and property across the state, stressing that the people of Ondo, including farmers, traders, commuters and students, are counting on their service.

“Our history will not only remember how long you served, but how well you served,” he said.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Commander of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, cautioned the newly inducted operatives that they are agents of the law and not above it.

Speaking at the formal graduation and induction of Batch 05, branded BOIA 05, Adeleye described the ceremony as both celebratory and solemn, celebratory because the recruits had completed a rigorous training programme, and solemn because they were being entrusted with the lives, property, dignity and peace of the people of Ondo State.

He stated that the corps was deliberately designed as a legal, community-rooted and intelligence-driven security outfit to close local security gaps, support conventional forces and respond swiftly to threats peculiar to the state’s terrain and communities.

Adeleye emphasised that Amotekun was not created to rival any existing security agency but to complement them through synergy with the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Police, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the National Boundary Management Agency and other sister agencies.

He noted that modern security challenges have become complex, asymmetrical and socially sensitive, ranging from banditry and kidnapping to communal tensions, farmers–herders clashes and criminal infiltration of rural communities.

According to him, members of BOIA 05 were stepping into service at a critical time, and their responsibility extends beyond physical presence to include alertness, restraint, integrity, confidentiality and loyalty to the state and its people.

“You carry arms to protect life, not to intimidate citizens. Your uniform is a symbol of public trust, not a licence for misconduct,” Adeleye said.

He warned that any act of indiscipline, corruption, abuse of power or collaboration with criminal elements would attract decisive institutional sanctions, adding that the image of the corps would be judged daily by the conduct of operatives in villages, highways, forests, markets and urban centres.

The commander disclosed that the recruits had undergone weeks of structured physical conditioning, grassroots intelligence gathering and management, tactical drills, weapon handling and intelligence awareness management.

They were also trained in civil-military relations, legal frameworks of internal security, crowd control, community engagement, ethics and the principles of Omoluabi.

He stressed that the training was structured to produce disciplined operatives, not militants; professional responders, not aggressors; and community protectors, not oppressors.

Adeleye expressed gratitude to Governor Aiyedatiwa for what he described as unwavering political will and strategic foresight in strengthening the state’s security architecture.

He said the recruitment, training and passing out of BOIA 05 underscored the administration’s belief that security remains the bedrock of development, investment and social harmony.

He also appreciated the Ondo State House of Assembly for providing legislative backing for the agency, the State Judiciary for its support, and the State Executive Council for consistent policy backing.

Assuring the new operatives of continued institutional support, Adeleye said the agency would prioritise continuous training and retraining, personnel welfare and motivation, inter-agency collaboration, intelligence-led operations, professionalism and accountability.

He urged the operatives to be firm but humane, courageous but lawful, vigilant but fair, noting that intelligence flows first from trust.

“Where the community trusts you, security thrives. Where fear replaces trust, insecurity grows,” he added.

Adeleye further thanked the governor for meeting the basic needs of the corps, including provision of vehicles and equipment, enhanced salary packages, life insurance, NSITF quota for operatives, welfare packages above standard civil service levels and improved training facilities.

He described the ceremony not as the end of a journey but the beginning of accountability to history, to Ondo State and to generations yet unborn, charging the operatives to justify the confidence reposed in them by serving with honour and upholding the law with humility.

In attendance were; The Speaker, Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji, represented by his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Ololade Gbegudu; Members of the State Executive Council; Members of Ondo State House of Assembly; Heads of Security Agencies; Traditional Rulers; Religious Leaders; Local Government Chairmen; Political Appointees; among other top government functionaries.