Tension gripped parts of Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Sunday following a confrontation between operatives of the state police command and the Amotekun Corps over the custody of a theft suspect.
The face-off occurred at the Ijoka office of the Amotekun Corps when police officers from the Scorpion Unit stormed the facility and forcefully took away an 18-year-old suspect, Tosin Adebisi, who had earlier been arrested by Amotekun personnel in connection with a stolen motorcycle.
Sources said the suspect was apprehended after a complaint was lodged at the Amotekun office, and the stolen motorcycle was reportedly recovered from his residence. However, tension erupted when the police demanded his immediate release, a request Amotekun operatives declined, insisting the handover would take place only at their Alagbaka headquarters.
The standoff escalated into a heated argument, with gunshots fired and tear gas released, causing panic in the area and injuries to some Amotekun members.
Reacting to the incident, the state police spokesperson, SP Olayinka Ayanlade, claimed that the police were the first to respond to the case and accused Amotekun of acting in a disorderly manner, injuring a police officer in the process.
He said the State Commissioner of Police, CP Wilfred Afolabi, ordered the recovery of the suspect and exhibits. The matter was eventually resolved after a dialogue between commanders of both security outfits, leading to the suspect and the motorcycle being returned to police custody.
However, SP Ayanlade noted that some aggrieved Amotekun personnel later fired shots into the air, allegedly in protest over the handover.
