One of the operatives of the Osun State Security Network Agency and Àmòtékùn Corps, Samuel Tope, has been allegedly killed by a soldier identified as Opejobi Fiyinfoluwa in the Ijeda-Ijesa community of the state.
This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by the Corps, which stated that the 35-year-old operative was attacked on Saturday evening by Opejobi, who was reportedly accompanied by some yet to be identified accomplices.
The statement, issued by the Amotekun Corps Commander for Osun State, Adekunle Omoyele, said the assailants inflicted a severe head injury on Tope, who later died in the early hours of Sunday while receiving treatment at Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa.
The Corps alleged that Tope was attacked without provocation by the soldier who was dressed in military uniform at the time of the incident.
Giving an account of the incident, the statement said, “The incident occurred around 5:45 p.m. when a soldier, identified as Opejobi Fiyinfoluwa, who was recently recruited into the Nigerian Army, launched an unprovoked assault on the Amotekun operative.
“Fiyinfoluwa, dressed in military camouflage, approached the Amotekun station in Ijebu-Jesa with hostile intent. He allegedly declared that part of his reason for joining the Army was to ‘deal decisively’ with Amotekun personnel.
“Shortly after, while Officer Tope was riding a motorcycle, the soldier and his accomplices stopped him and launched a violent attack.
“The assailants reportedly struck Tope on the head with a blunt object, causing him to fall from the bike. The brutal assault lasted for about 20 minutes, with no intervention, leaving Tope in a pool of blood.
“After the attack, the soldier fled the scene on a commercial motorcycle.”
The commander said other operatives of the Corps later evacuated Tope to Wesley Guild Hospital in Ilesa and promptly informed the Divisional Police Headquarters in Ijebu-Jesa, while a report was also lodged with Lt. Col. Yunusa Isyaku at the Engineering Cantonment in Ede.
Omoyele lamented that “Unfortunately, despite efforts to save his life, Officer Peter Samuel Tope succumbed to his injuries early Sunday morning”.
The corps commander demanded a thorough investigation into the matter, vowing that no effort would be spared in ensuring that those responsible for the attack were brought to justice.