Oyo Amotekun Threatens Statewide Strike as Operatives Decry “Five Years of Slavery Conditions”

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Oyo State is heading toward a major security upheaval as operatives of the Oyo State Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, announce plans for a statewide strike and protest over what they describe as five years of degrading working conditions and deliberate refusal to formalise their employment.

The operatives accuse Governor Seyi Makinde; the Chairman of the Amotekun Board, AIG Sikiru Akande (retd.); and the State Commandant, Col. Olayinka Olayanju (retd.), of withholding official appointment letters since the security outfit’s establishment in 2020. According to them, frustration has peaked in all 33 local government areas.

In a public statement, Amotekun officers praised the late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, for championing the establishment of the regional security outfit, lamenting that while other states granted their operatives full employment status, Oyo left its corps members “in limbo”.

They allege that despite their frontline role in fighting kidnappers and bandits in Lagelu, Akinyele, and other volatile areas, the state government has kept them as contract workers without legal backing, insurance, or any structured welfare system.

More troubling, they claim, Commandant Olayanju boasted publicly that he personally halted the issuance of appointment letters since 2021, a claim they say he also repeated during a legislative hearing on November 19.

The tension escalated with accusations of corruption within the Amotekun board, including claims that over ₦1.2 million was collected annually from each of the 33 local governments for five years with no transparency or accountability.

Their demands include:

Immediate issuance of appointment letters; Establishment of a proper ranking and promotion structure.
Payment of hardship allowances promised by Governor Makinde and.
Removal of AIG Sikiru Akande (retd.) and Col. Olayinka Olayanju (retd.)

The operatives couched their grievances in rising security concerns, warning that terrorists who recently attacked Kwara State might extend operations into Oyo. They insist they cannot confront sophisticated threats while being treated as “casual labourers”.

They called on the Oyo State House of Assembly to urgently visit all Amotekun formations and address their grievances before the state’s security situation “spirals out of control.”

With tensions rising and operatives poised for industrial action, Oyo State may soon face a dangerous security vacuum—one that could embolden criminal networks already testing the region’s resilience.