By RhemDy News
Oyo State charter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the reported loss of more than 200 personnel of the South West Security Network, codenamed Amotekun Corps, in the State under undisclosed circumstances as saddening, alarming and unacceptable.
APC called on Governor Seyi Makinde to provide more details about the revelation and ensure that officials of the security outfit as well as all responsible residents were protected by his administration.
Governor Makinde had in his address during a sympathy visit to residents of recent abduction affected communities in Oriire Local Government Area disclosed last week that over 200 men of the Amotekun Corps were lost in active service recently without giving0 details of what led to their death.
It could be recalled that suspected bandits killed 2 people and abducted about 45 school children and their teachers last month at Ahoro Esi-ele, Yawota and two other communities in the State.
Reacting to the revelation through a statement on Thursday by its State Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the APC expressed dismay over "lack of empathy on the part of Gov. Makinde who broke the sad news with utmost flippancy, triviality and insensitivity as if he was talking about chikens or goats killed by epidemics."
Sadare noted that, "With this ugly development, there is no denying the fact that the current administration in Oyo state does not attach much importance to the lives of the people.
"How can a governor mention the death of over 200 dedicated crime fighters flippantly and without any recourse to the feeling of their family members and loved ones? Why did the governor withhold information on the high casualty figures of the slain Amotekun Corps?"
He alleged that for Oyo State to have recorded such a number of fatalities among its security team, the crime rates in the state has reached the crescendo "while the state government covers up a whole lot of things."
Sadare stressed that the revelation by the governor also raised questions regarding the condition of service in the Amotekun Corps Service.
"From our own discreet investigations, we found that Gov. Makinde has failed to work a synergy between the Corps and the federal security agencies on account of needless ego and cluelessness."
He maintained that it is important for Governor Makinde to involve relevant security experts in the fight against crime in the state while drowning at what he described as a practice whereby Amotekun Corps members were being deployed to protect hotels, properties and business facilities belonging to friends and political associates of the governor.
The APC spokesman declared that such practice should be stopped "while only competent hands should be recruited" and maintained that training, retraining and good welfare packages must be put in place for the Amotekun officials to operate under minimum risk and high motivation.
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