How Amotekun officers killed my son – Mother cries out

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Monsurat Alimi, 49, has revealed how her son, Tunde Olutayo, was allegedly killed by Amotekun Corps operatives in Abeokuta, Ogun State’s capital.

The woman stated that she found out about her 25-year-old son’s death on Facebook, where his body was posted with a gun on his chest, as he was tagged as a cultist and an armed robber.

According to reports, Olutayo was killed last Saturday after Amotekhn officers allegedly invaded his compound in Sokori and shot him dead when he tried to flee.

According to David Akinremi, the commander of the Amotekun corps in Ogun, the deceased Olutayo and his gang “engaged the corps in a gun duel” before being hit by a bullet that killed him.

Akinremi stated that he received a distress call from residents of Sokori who claimed that they were being robbed by a group of Eye cultists.

When his operatives arrived at the location, Akinremi claimed that they were met by the hoodlums, who he claimed had stolen phones, money, and other items from the residents, and a gun duel ensued.

He said, “During this encounter, one Olutayo Tunde (a.k.a. Badoo), aged 30 years, who is the leader of this group which had previously been involved in cult killings, armed robberies and other sundry crimes in Abeokuta metro, fired at the operatives and in a swift response, he was shot on the arm in an attempt to disarm him.

“The suspect immediately ran into the nearby bush along with his other cohorts, dropping a locally made pistol which was recovered by the operatives.

“A painstaking search was conducted in the bush where he escaped, during which he was arrested while others escaped.

“He was immediately taken to Ijaye General Hospital for treatment so as to be able to extract useful information from him, but was confirmed dead shortly on arrival at the said hospital.”

However, the mother of the deceased Olutayo informed reporters that the Amotekun Commander created a false image of what happened, emphasizing that her son was a vulcaniser, not a cultist or an armed robber.

The woman shouted out for help while crying, saying:

“Help me, I have been cheated. Tunde had a wife and a child. He worked as a vulcanizer.

“On Saturday (April 23, 2022), I was called that Tunde was at the junction of his workshop and that was where they apprehended him.

“I learnt he was shot by the Amotekun corps the moment he tried to escape from the riverbank.

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“When I got to the place where he was shot, eyewitnesses told me that he knew nothing about the incident.

“I was told that while he was being taken away, he pleaded that he was not a cultist nor an armed robber.

“My son was arrested by the roadside. He told them he had a sick mother, a wife, and a child at home, yet they still killed him.

“I was told that they shot him while trying to escape when he saw that other people arrested have also escaped; that was how he was shot in the arm.”

The bereaved mother stated that she was not let to see her son until she saw the body posted on Facebook.

“Ever since the time we have been going to check on him, they never allowed us to see him until Saturday morning when we saw his death announcement on Facebook with a gun placed on his chest, claiming they found it on him. It is a lie.

“We urge the government to help ask the Amotekun to release to us his dead body. He was not a cultist. They did not inform us that he had been killed. It was on Facebook that we saw it.

“We want the government to find out what led to the killing of my son. Please help me; they want to cheat me with power. They killed my son and seized his corpse. Nigerians should help me,” the mother cried.