Residents of the Owena-Ayetoro community in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State have appealed to the Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, to establish a permanent operational base in the area amid growing concerns over insecurity.
The community said the presence of security operatives in the area would help curb kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities and restore confidence among residents.
In a statement signed by the community’s chairman and secretary, Charles Akinwon and Olorunsola Olutosoye, respectively, the residents appealed to the Amotekun authorities to urgently intervene and strengthen security in the community.
According to the community, Owena-Ayetoro has increasingly become a hideout for suspected bandits and other criminals, leaving residents fearful for their lives and property. The Sun independently reported the appeal on Sunday, August 23, 2026.
The residents cited incidents recorded in July as part of the reasons for their request. They alleged that on July 29, bandits took over a former Army checkpoint in the area, during which a resident was reportedly shot.
The community said the victim was receiving intensive medical treatment in a hospital in Akure as of the time of its statement.
The residents also reported an alleged kidnapping involving a young boy who was said to be working for a resident identified as Mr Monday in Ago Store, near the former Army checkpoint.
They further said a suspected bandit was apprehended in the community in July while allegedly in possession of various weapons and subsequently handed over to the Idanre unit of the Amotekun Corps.
The community argued that establishing an Amotekun base in Owena-Ayetoro would provide a stronger security presence and serve as a deterrent to criminal elements operating in the area.
“We strongly believe that the presence of the Amotekun men in Ayetoro Owena will, to a great extent, curb the activities” of criminals and provide reassurance to residents, the community said in its appeal.
The residents also disclosed that they were prepared to accommodate the security agency, saying they had provided a suitable structure that could serve as an operational base and had furnished it to some extent.
They added that the request was not new, claiming that representatives of the community had previously approached the Amotekun authorities both orally and in writing, including visiting the agency’s office on several occasions.
The appeal comes amid heightened security concerns across Ondo State. In recent months, the Amotekun Corps has reported several operations against suspected kidnappers and other criminal groups in different parts of the state.
In June, the corps said it arrested 97 suspects in connection with alleged kidnapping, armed robbery, burglary and other offences during raids conducted across parts of Ondo State.
The corps also reported the rescue of kidnap victims and the arrest of suspects in separate operations in the state. In August, Amotekun said it rescued five kidnap victims and arrested 14 suspects during recent operations, including an operation in which two abducted persons were rescued from a forest in the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo area.
The Owena-Ayetoro community is therefore urging the security authorities to respond to its request, saying a permanent Amotekun presence would help protect residents, farmers and other people living and working in the area.
