Protest in Ondo as Amotekun officer allegedly kills Owo poly student
By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure
Students of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo state have protested over the death of one of their colleagues, Folarera Ademola, an ND1 student from the department of Science Laboratory Technology who was allegedly killed by an officer of the Amotekun corps.
The protesting students who troop out in a large number on Friday morning at Owo to show their grievances over the sad incident, however, gave the state government a 24-hour ultimatum to hand over the said officer to the police for proper prosecution and take charge of the deceased’s burial arrangement and compensate the family.
Olorunda Oluwafemi, the Students Union President of the institution, who spoke on behalf of his co-students during the protest said the boy was shot on the 27th of June by an officer of the Amotekun in front of his parents’ house.
According to him, the deceased suffered the gunshot wounds for 10 days before he was taken to the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Owo, where he gave up the ghost yesterday (Thursday).
But the Amotekun corps commander, Adetunji Adeleye while reacting to the incident said, “It is necessary for the Corps to explain to the public what transpired few days ago that led to the unfortunate death of the student.
“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 specializes in attacking Okada riders with dangerous weapons and dispossess 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, 7 out of the men stacked naked in side the room filled with smoke. And four Okadas were also fund in side the bedroom.
“After introducing themselves to the men, the men struggled disarm the operative who 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 suspect and an Amotekun officer. At that instance non of them told Amotekun officers that they were students.
According to Adeleye, his men eventually overpowered the suspects, arrested and took them to the Corps office in Owo where they were detained while investigation was continues.
He said, “the incident occurred on 27th and 28th of June, 2022. The suspect left our facility on same day, 11 days after the incident to get first aid treatment with the promise to return in continuation of the investigation.
“Surprisingly, the news of the dead injured suspect’s filtered yesterday after 11 days the incident occurred. We sincerely register our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased while we continue with our indepth and thorough investigation to the real cause of his death.
“The Ondo State Amotekun Corps, however wishes to assure 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 sanitize the state of criminal elements terrorising the state.”
