- Some suspected terrorists act like okada riders to spy – Amotekun
Fresh findings by The Point have revealed that many illegal miners who operate in gold-rich communities in the region contributed in creating a home for suspected terrorists who fled northern parts of the country.
It was gathered that in a bid to get strong men who could dig land in search of raw gold, many suspected bandits and terrorists who infiltrated the region have been recruited.
Gold-mining communities of Osun State were said to have been prominent in hosting those who pose threats to security and peace of the state.
A visit by The Point to Itagunmodi, one of the communities of Osun that witnesses landscape artisanal and gold mining activities, revealed that majority of artisanal miners operating in the community are northerners.
Some residents who spoke with The Point, said since last September, the number of strangers who relocated to their community had doubled.
According to them, they became afraid the moment news filtered that some suspected terrorists were arrested by the Department of State Services in Ilesa, an ancient town that is close to Itagunmodi.
“We have complained about their huge presence in our community but since there is no concrete evidence that could reveal them as terrorists, we kept quiet. But, the truth is that we have been feeling insecure since we heard news that some suspected Boko Haram members have infiltrated our state.
“These northerners are brought by our fellow Yoruba people to work for them in their gold mining fields. Once they bring them, they house them and pay them stipends while they stay. Someone like me would have loved that government and security agencies come to our community to investigate these strange miners,” a resident of the community said.
Confirming that mining activities in Ijesaland and its environments contributed largely to the influx of suspected terrorists who are ISWAP and Boko Haram members in South West, especially in Osun, the state Commandant of the Western Security Network, codenamed Operation Amotekun, Adekunle Omoyele, corroborated claims by indigenes that some dealers in gold mining get “cheap labour” from the North.
Commandant Omoyele explained that the influx of labourers who dig land in search of gold has constituted a serious threat to security.
According to him, while these suspects came into the state by themselves to take up menial jobs, others were being mobilised to the state by those who invest in gold in the fields.
The Amotekun boss disclosed that most of the foreigners used to drop off trucks and vehicles at Ilesa expressway to take up menial jobs including mining of gold.
He said he has drafted some personnel to monitor activities in all the gold mining communities, urging the people of the state to always provide vital information to the corps.
Assuring heightened security measures in the affected towns, Omoyele said the corps is working on implementing digital surveillance across the state and as well introduce a toll-free emergency number, 293, for residents to report emergencies or provide security-related tips as part of its efforts to enhance public safety.
The Commandant also announced plans to recruit an additional 1,000 personnel to re- inforce the existing 320 operatives currently deployed across the state.
“We realise that most of those foreigners used to drop from trucks and vehicles at Ilesa expressway to take up menial jobs including mining of gold. But we are on top of the situation, Osun residents should not panic because we are ahead of them.
“We are taking proactive measures to ensure the security of lives and property in Osun, and the recruitment drive will bolster our capacity to tackle emerging security challenges,” Omoyele stated.
He warned against recruitment of persons capable of undermining the security of the state for gold mining, stressing that ISWAP/Boko Haram is thriving now because “there is gold in Ilesa and other Ijesaland axis. These places are now vulnerable because of gold and it is exposing the axis to insecurity.
“Our people go and scout for cheap labour in the North. In a particular area in Ilesa, that is where they converge. The number is too much. A trailer came and dropped some people at the expressway along Akure road. We discovered that Lagos State is sending them back to their areas but their people were calling them to drop in Ilesa for their job.
“People that were using them for economic gains should desist. However, I want to assure the people of Osun that our boys are monitoring their activities,” he said.
Omoyele also disclosed that some of these suspected terrorists have taken up commercial motorcycle business, saying it might be one of their plans of knowing the nooks and crannies of the state and to possibly spy on their targeted areas.
“They resort to okada business. It is dangerous for suspected Boko Haram to become Okada riders. We tried to tell our people to be careful of them and to be security conscious when boarding okada,” he warned.
He further urged residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies by reporting any suspicious activities through the designated emergency channels.
“Governor Ademola Adeleke has approved our proposal and the recruitment will start next month. This will help us to fight crime in the state especially with the invasion of ISWAP and Boko Haram. We are on red alert, criminal elements must stay away from our state,” Omoyele stated.
He reiterated the corps’ plan to secure the state with the aid of technology, saying, “We are using digital surveillance technology to monitor the state. We urge residents to call 293 in case of emergency, it is toll free.”
The Point had reported that bandits and other criminals have invaded the region and are operating in forests. To be able to flush out these criminals, Ogun and Osun States have disclosed plans to recruit 1,000 recruits each, while Oyo recruited 480 men last October as part of efforts to curtail the influx of bandits.
The National Bureau of Statistics revealed in a survey last December that Nigerians paid a total of N2.23trn as ransom between May 2023 and April 2024.
According to the NBS’s Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey report, an estimated 51.89 million crime incidents were recorded across Nigerian households in the reference period.
The survey indicated that the South West recorded 6.9m crime incidences during the period.
The North West region had the highest incidence of crime, with 14.4m cases reported, followed by the North Central region with 8.8m incidents.
To bolster security in the South West, the Ondo State Amotekun Corps Commander, Adetunji Adeleye, explained that “Amotekun rangers” had been deployed in the forests to evict the bandits.
Adeleye, who is also the Chairman of the Amotekun Commanders in the South West, stated, “The Amotekun rangers are in the forest already to flush out the bandits who may want to use our forests as hideouts. Like I do say, there is no room for bandits in Ondo State.”
He, however, sought more support for the corps in terms of weapons and other security hardware.
“What they provided for us is what we are using and that is what we will continue to use. Automatic weapons are on the exclusive list and we will not go near there.
“I would also say we want technology for tracking the location of the criminals and other gadgets to enhance our operational capability and improve intelligence gathering. These are the major areas where we would want to improve upon.”
The Ogun Amotekun Corps Commander, Brig-Gen. Alade Adedigba (retd.), disclosed that his men, numbering over 1,000, had been given the marching orders to move against bandits occupying forests in the state.
Adedigba announced plans to recruit more men, adding that Governor Dapo Abiodun has also given a directive that an additional 1,000 operatives should be recruited to further boost the efficiency of the security outfit.
