Insecurity: Amotekun To Recruit More Personnel In Osun

Commander of Osun Security Network Agency,  ‘Amotekun Corps’, Retired Brig-Gen. Bashir Adewimbi, has said more operatives would be recruited to strengthen security and flush out bandits hiding in forests.
Adewimbi, who made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Ede, Saturday, stated that they had credible intelligence that bandits and criminals were hiding in the forests.
“The banditry and terrorism we are experiencing in our region now is the spill over effect of what is happening around the country.
“We have credible intelligence that bandits are all in our forests and we are strategising to comb the forests and make sure we drive them away or arrest them,” he said
The Commander continued that “the operatives of the corps are determined to go into the forests flush out theses criminals using the forests as their hideout.
“The Governor has approved the recruitment of more operatives who are competent.
“We will not be recruiting or engaging those who are just looking for work but people that are bold and courageous that will go into the forest to confront and combat criminals hiding in the forests.
“We are going to recruit courageous hunters that goes into the forest to hunt for weeks and months.
“The people we are looking for, we want now, are people that can combat the problem on ground.”
According to him, presently, the corps only have 360 operatives deployed to all the 30 Local Government Areas, and a local council area, in the State, stating that there was serious need to recruit more men.
“Although the State Amotekun corps gathers intelligence and works with existing security agencies to enhance community policing, their restriction to carry firearms limits their crime fighting operations.
“Basically, we provide information and confront criminals where there is need for it, even though we are not adequately armed.
“In the process of our recruitment, we factored in the fact that we are not allowed to carry arms/guns but we are working on obtaining licenced guns”, Adewimbi said.
Speaking on how to improve security in the State, Adewimbi called on the residents to always monitor their environments and not to harbour criminals.