Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has disclosed that more than 200 operatives of the Amotekun Corps have lost their lives while combating insecurity across the state.
Makinde made the revelation on Saturday during a visit to the families of victims abducted from three schools in the Oriire area of Ogbomoso on May 15.
The governor stressed that the current situation requires collaboration rather than assigning blame, urging all levels of government to unite in efforts to secure the release of the kidnapped students and teachers.
“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,” he said.
“And for those who have lost their lives, as God lives, their blood won’t go in vain. So please, I feel your pain.
“Prof, I feel your pain. Please, have trust in us. Anything that we can’t do, it won’t be because we can’t deploy the power in our hands.”
Makinde acknowledged the frustration of residents over persistent insecurity but maintained that government agencies are actively working despite ongoing criticism.
“People will keep talking to you, saying the government is supposed to do this and that. But they have also been talking to me, saying all kinds of things. Some said we should ban Okada,” he said.
Highlighting the sacrifices made by local security personnel, the governor said many Amotekun operatives have 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 stated.
The Amotekun Corps was established in January 2020 by the six South-West states to address challenges such as banditry, kidnapping and farmer-herder conflicts across the region.
Earlier on Saturday, during the joint mega rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APM in Ibadan, Makinde reiterated that the security outfit was created after efforts to secure approval for state police failed.
“We wanted state police. It was because we couldn’t get the state police that we established Amotekun as a stop-gap,” he said.
The governor also criticised the delay in creating state police, calling on the federal government to “stop deceiving Nigerians” on the issue.