The Oyo State Security Network Agency, aka Amotekun, in collaboration with a group of hunters in the state have dislodged some herdsmen from the Opara Forest Reserve and the Oyo State Agricultural Development Programme Forest on Christmas eve.

In a statement by the Information Officer of Amotekun in Oyo State, Mrs Ayolola Adedoja, the chairman of Chairman of Amotekun Corps, Gen. Kunle Togun (retd), said the herdsmen claimed they were invited into the state by traditional rulers. 

While commending the hunters led by one Prophet Ojuawo, Togun urged the people of the state to support the security outfit to make it more effective. 

He also said Amotekun was open to criticism, adding that such criticism should not be to discourage the corps from its duty of protecting lives and property.

He said, “On December 24, some herdsmen were seen at the Opara Forest Reserve in the Oke Ogun area of Oyo State. The attention of the chairman of the Amotekun corps was called to it and the Amotekun corps swung into action.

“They were able to flush the herdsmen out of the forest reserve around 2am. The Amotekun corps, with the assistance of one Prophet Ojuawo, who is the head of the hunters in the state, with 40 hunters drove out the herdsmen out of the forest reserve and they were escorted out of Saki West to the Orelope Local Government Area of Oyo State.

“The herdsmen were handed over to the Amotekun corps members at Orelope who also led them out of their territory and handed them to their members at Olorunsogo in Igbeti area. The Amotekun corps at Igbeti made sure they were escorted out of the Oyo State boundary.”

Togun said when the herdsmen were interrogated, they said one traditional ruler in the area invited them and they produced a letter of invitation by the traditional ruler.

He said, “Also, another set of the herdsmen were sighted at OYSADEP Forest Reserves. They too produced evidence of invitation by one of the Oyo Obas and they too were also driven out of the forest and of the state boundary.”

Togun, however, urged the public to be patient with Amotekun saying the results of the corps efforts to protect lives and property won’t be sudden.