Amotekun operatives in Ondo decry poor welfare, no appointment letters

Jul 18, 2024

—

The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps, has been enmeshed in controversy over a lack of adequate and proper welfare for its operatives across the state.

According to sources within the corps, since their years of engagement with the security agency, there have yet to be any formal employment letters issued.

Some of the operatives who craved anonymity disclosed that, due to the nature of their jobs, which most times required them to spend days in the forest, they had never been considered for any form of allowance.

While accusing the corps’ leadership of insincerity with the operations of the agency, the aggrieved operatives revealed the actual number of personnel within the corps had always been shrewd in secrecy, a move they described as a ploy to embezzle funds.

One of the operatives serving in the Central Senatorial District of the state said, “I can confirm that none of us is happy at the moment. The zeal we had when we joined the corps had waned.

“You can imagine the frustration of not being properly engaged as an Amotekun operative. As for the little salary we do get, we have never been considered for any allowance.

“Even when the issue of palliatives was everywhere and the heat of the fuel subsidy was still hot, we were not given anything at all. As a family man, how do they want us to be motivated to continue to put our lives at risk?

“And you know how this place works; no one dares to talk. We are not treated rightly as security operatives. It is sad.”

However, the budget performance report for the state indicated that expenditure for the corps in the first quarter of 2024 was N674 million while the corps received a total sum of N1.5 billion out of the N2.7 billion budget in 2023 and N1.45 billion in 2022.

On the issue, the leadership of the corps in the state stressed that the process of recruiting operatives from the corps is not in tandem with the normal civil service, indicating that a move has begun towards harmonising the salary scheme of the corps with other states in the south-west.

“The recruitment process for the Amotekun Corps, being a paramilitary organisation, is different from that of other civil service organisations. We are, however, trying to have a harmonised salary scale for Amotekun officials in Ondo and some other states.”

Dailypost

Comments

One response to “Amotekun operatives in Ondo decry poor welfare, no appointment letters”

Abigael Adeleye

July 18, 2024

THE MANY WOES OF ONDO AMOTEKUN

The Ondo State Security Network Agency codenamed Amotekun Corps, was established solely for the protection of human lives and their investments and properties in Ondo State and also curb the worrisome and menacing farmers/herders clashes that had become endemic in Ondo State which was also disturbing the peace and welfare of the people and working against the progress and prosperity of The State.
A Corps Commander was appointed by then Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of blessed memory in the person of Akogun Adetunji Adeleye to steer the affairs of The Corps and also, a Board of Trustees was to be appointed to oversee the affairs of the supervising agency for The Corps that is The Ondo State Security Network Agency for check and balance of power, but the idea was later botched.

The Corps has no doubt preformed well in the last four years by boldly standing up to threats and neutralizing such due to the commitment of the personnel.
However, the personnel are seriously aggrieved due to the highhandedness, corruption, don-juanism and tyranny of the Corps Commander, Adetunji Adeleye-a qualified electrical engineer with little experience in security operations and management he garnered during the formative years of Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps. Small wonder he delights in buying his way through different professional bodies and non-governmental organizations in order for those professional bodies to present spurious awards to him in order to leverage his inordinate ambition and massage his over bloated ego.

In Spite of the commitment and hard work exhibited by the personnel, Adeleye has been depriving them of their hard-earned rightful salaries and allowances as he pays the operatives, just a fraction of what The State Government recommends.
In January 2024, shortly after the demise of Late Governor Akeredolu and the change of guards occasioned by the emergence of Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa, he was forced to add #20,000 to the salary of each operative of The Corps.
This was hastily done to fence-off his being queried by the incumbent Governor.
The question begging for an answer-where did the sudden additional money come from and who has been in possession of the money for over three years?
Imagine the sum of #20,000 been milked from each operative for three years?

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Amotekun Commander Adeleye is the defacto Chairman of Ondo State Security Network Agency-the supervising Agency for Amotekun and was at the same time, Special Adviser on Security to Late Governor Akeredolu, thus giving him unrestricted power in the security systems of The State and in dispensing funds meant for security operations and management of the security apparatus of the state and occasionally Amotekun in synergy with sister agencies during the Akeredolu era.
Adeleye often bragged during the Aketi years that he has The Late Aketi in his pocket, and as such, he can exercise his insidious and wide powers across The State without let or hindrance.
He boasted that the idea of inaugurating the board of trustees for Ondo State Security Network Agency, will not see the light of the day, as long as he remains The Commander of The Amotekun Corps, and till this day, the board has not been constituted.
He also single-handedly stopped The Ondo State Security Trust Fund from manifesting into fruition by using his position as Special Adviser on Security to convince The Late Governor Akeredolu to put the inauguration of OSSTF on hold, following his insistence on heading The Trust Fund -a selfish resolution of Adeleye, that was kicked against by other security agencies, especially, The Police.That singular selfish action has caused a setback in funding security in the State by the private sector.

Adeleye claimed that the staff strength of The Corps is over five thousand whereas, the strength is barely one thousand five hundred personnel.He enrolled all his domestic and company staff on the payroll of The Corps.This is gross corruption and abuse of office.
Adeleye has a stepson-a young lawyer who just graduated from Law School.His salary was paid all through the young man’s stint at school and ditto the salary of his erstwhile young PA who also doubled as his mistress inspite of the fact that the young lady has since transferred her service in Amotekun to another state.The salary of the young lady was stopped recently upon the refusal of the young lady who is now married to warm the bed of Oga Commander.
Whereas, salaries of hardworking officers are stopped and such officers are detained indefinitely over minor offenses.

In his heydays as Special Adviser on Security to Governor, Commander of Amotekun and de facto Chairman of Ondo State Security Network Agency,Adeleye was imprudent and discourteous to then Deputy Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa who he treated with insolence as he boasted then that he would never take orders from the then Deputy Governor;all of these he was doing due to his closeness to Ex Governor Akeredolu until reality dawned on him Wednesday, 27th December, 2023, when he got a rude shock as a result of the announcement of Ex Governor Akeredolu’s passage and the reality of Mr Lucky Ayedatiwa’s emergence to the incumbent position.

A devious,crafty and cunning Adeleye realizing that he was not in the good books of Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa and wanting to warm up his way into Ayedatiwa’s heart in order to maintain his hold on power-loop by securing another term as Corp Commander, Adeleye mobilized the most senior elder in the Ayedatiwa family to the State capital where he lodged the elder Ayedatiwa in a luxury hotel and greased his palm with the sum of#10 million to intercede on his behalf to the incumbent Governor.He also automatically promoted the officer (a member of the Ayedatiwa family)who assisted him in mobilizing the elder to Akure.
The question here is-why the desperation in securing another term, when he often claims that Amotekun is underfunded, and that he is the one bankrolling The Corps from his personal fund.

Nepotism, favoritism and cronyism rule the day in Amotekun.
Adeleye has a coterie of hangers-on and informants who are his eyes and ears who he encourages to spy on others in order to report to him and oftentimes these informants squeals on operatives they have axes to grind with, to The Commander.
Adeleye operates a divide and rule policy in The Corps.

One of his female lovers, who terrorizes operatives in the Agency including her squadmates,is a member of his wife’s church and her personal make-up artist. Any male operative seen being close to this mistress of his,is harshly punished by The Corps Commander.
As a result of the tryst between The Commander and his mistress, three official vehicles are allocated to her office, while some more senior officers do not have official vehicles.

Adeleye who has a penchant for lawlessness is fond of not executing court orders as he flagrantly disobey duly decided position of the court in some cases and instances of this anomaly abound especially during the erstwhile Governor years and these almost strained the relationship between the Judiciary, lawyers and The Agency.
Adeleye also takes delight in detaining suspected persons arbitrarily without charging them to Court. On some occasions, this act of impunity actually led to the death of these suspects, whose family members are oblivious of their whereabouts.
The two most senior legal officials of The Agency who were second to Amotekun from The Ministry of Justice have transmuted into yes-men as they have their hearts in their mouths when it comes to telling Adeleye the truth as far as legal matters are concerned.

Adeleye’s hypocrisy, duplicity, shenanigans, manipulation and intimidation runs to high heaven as he casts himself in the garb of a great leader and defender of the people.
Most of the civil servants seconded to The Agency are now being used as tools of intimidation to oppress hardworking personnel of the Agency and this they readily do due to the pecuniary benefits being derived from The Commander, as they are totally neglecting their primary duties.

It is recommended that His Excellency, Hon Lucky Ayedatiwa should inaugurate a Board of Inquiry to conduct an independent investigation about the activities in The Corps in the last four years.
It’s high time Governor Ayedatiwa wades in and does the needful before matter escalates.

Reply