Amotekun denies involvement as youths protest ‘killing’ of teenager in Oyo

Youths, on Wednesday, took to the streets of Ibadan, the Oyo capital, to protest the alleged killing of Peter Okafor, a 14-year-old boy.

The incident is said to have taken place at the Uncle Joe area of Mokola, Ibadan, the state capital.

NAN quoted a witness as alleging that Okafor, an apprentice with a printing press in Mokola, was shot when he sighted Amotekun operatives and tried to flee.

There are also claims that Okafor was not targeted, but hit by a stray bullet fired by the operatives.

The protesters burnt tyres on the road, causing traffic around Mokola area.

The protesters were later said to have marched to the state secretariat with the corpse of the victim, demanding to see Seyi Makinde, the Oyo governor.

Reacting to the incident, Olayinka Olayanju, the state commandant of Amotekun, said his men are not responsible for Okafor’s death.

According to him, Amotekun operatives were not anywhere around the scene of the incident when it occurred.

He said his men were only deployed in Alaro community around Sango by 1am, after the corps received a distress call of an armed robbery attack in the area.

“Colonel Olayanju said though they received a distress call from a community around Sango area axis around 11:25pm, that armed robbers were raiding in the community known as Alaro are, the operatives responded to the calls around 1:20am,” a statement by Ayolola Adedoja, spokesman to the commandant, reads.

He added that Amotekun operatives did not pass through Mokola area where the incident was said to have happened.

There have been allegations of extrajudicial killings involving operatives of Amotekun.

In January, the corps dismissed Afolabi Kazeem, one of its operatives, for the death of one Tosin Thomas, a 23-year-old resident of the state.