Following Saturday night attack on Igangan Community in Ibarapa, Oyo State, governors of Southwest states have ordered Amotekun to henceforth operate jointly.
In the attack by suspected herdsmen, 11 persons, according to the police, were killed. The palace of the Agangan, the community’s monarch, vehicles and a filling station were burnt down.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State communicated the decision of the governors, said Amotekun commanders in Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun and Ekiti states had been asked to meet to fine-tune the new operational arrangement.
Akeredolu, chairman of the Southwest Governors Forum, described the killings in Iganagan as horrendous, callous and highly provocative.
He said well-meaning Nigerians must condemn it because it is an assault on decency and communal harmony.
He added: “They will stop at nothing until their set goal is realised. It is, therefore, incumbent on all lovers of peace and freedom to rise against this current regression into savagery.
“We on our part, are resolved to defend our people, their property, and all legitimate means of livelihood against both internal and external aggression. On this, there will be no compromise.
“We call on our people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movement in their communities. In addition, they must be united in the task of defending our lives and properties.
“We cannot afford to fail.”
The bloody attack came less than one week after the chairman, Oyo State Amotekun corps, Gen. Ajibola Toogun, hinted that foreign herders had surrounded Southwest with the intention to wreak havoc.
