Wives of detained operatives of the Osun State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun, on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest in Ile-Ife, appealing to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, to intervene in the continued detention of their husbands.
The women, carrying placards with various inscriptions such as “OONIRISA SHOULD PLEASE INTERVENE AS HEAD OF YORUBA RACE”, “DON’T JOIN POLITICS WITH SECURITY, RELEASE INNOCENT AMOTEKUN IN POLICE CELL”, “INNOCENT AMOTEKUN ARE SPENDING 4 MONTHS IN THE DETENTION”, “FAMILIES OF THE DETAINED AMOTEKUN ARE SICK”, among others; marched to the Ooni’s Palace, describing their action as a desperate plea for justice and humanitarian intervention.
Speaking on behalf of the palace, the Arode of Ife, High Chief Kayode Awofiranye, informed the protesters that the monarch was out of town at the time of their visit but assured them that their concerns would be conveyed to the Ooni, urging them to return at a later date.
Addressing journalists during the protest, Mrs. Omolola Adedokun, who spoke on behalf of the Amotekun wives, appealed to the Ooni to use his moral authority and influence to help secure the release of their husbands, whom she described as innocent of the allegations that led to their arrest. She disclosed that the wives had earlier submitted petitions to the Osun State House of Assembly and other relevant authorities but said no concrete resolution had been achieved.
The protest follows the arrest of over 25 operatives of the Osun State Amotekun Corps by the Nigeria Police Force in October 2025, over allegations linking some personnel to the killing of residents of Akinlalu town in Ife North Local Government Area on September 30, 2025. The arrests were carried out on October 8 by the Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT), which also sealed Amotekun operational offices in Osogbo and Ile-Ife.
Mrs. Adedokun lamented that communication with their husbands had ceased completely, noting that while they initially received calls from them in detention, all contact had since stopped. She added that the prolonged detention had plunged many families into hardship, with children withdrawn from school due to financial strain and elderly parents, particularly mothers-in-law, reportedly falling ill without adequate care.
The protesters called on relevant authorities to urgently review the case, warning that the continued detention of the operatives was not only taking a severe toll on their families but was also affecting morale within the Amotekun Corps and raising broader security concerns in the state.
The protest ended peacefully, with the women expressing hope that the Ooni of Ife would grant them audience and help facilitate a humane and just resolution to the matter.
