A fresh controversy has erupted in Ondo State following a press statement issued by human rights lawyer, Tope Temokun, who accused the leadership of the Amotekun Corps of persecuting one of its own operatives, Officer Ekujumi Julius, for speaking out on poor welfare conditions and lack of appointment letters.
Temokun revealed that Julius had reached out to him for legal intervention after the Corps launched what he described as a “smear campaign” against the officer, branding him with criminal allegations — including murder and drug dealings — shortly after he publicly demanded proper employment documentation for operatives.
The lawyer disclosed that petitions had earlier been submitted to the Ondo State House of Assembly, the Amotekun Commandant, labour unions, and the Attorney General of the state, but were dismissed on the grounds that no officer had openly complained.
“Now that an officer has come forward, instead of addressing the substance of his grievances, the Corps has unleashed character assassination,” Temokun said.
According to him, the viral video of Amotekun officers demanding appointment letters is clear evidence that the grievances are real, and that denying the demands amounts to casualising security work.
He further accused the Corps of staging a show of solidarity at the Ondo Assembly on September 11, where senior officers publicly declared they did not need appointment letters — an act Temokun described as “a staged spectacle.”
On claims that many Amotekun operatives are above 60 years of age and therefore outside civil service regulations, the lawyer said such arguments only expose the government’s deliberate attempt to run a paramilitary structure outside established labour rules, leaving operatives vulnerable to exploitation.
While acknowledging Amotekun’s role in fighting crime, Temokun insisted that sustainable security cannot be built on a foundation of neglect, silence, and casualisation of officers.
He called on the Ondo State Government, House of Assembly, civil society, and human rights advocates to take urgent steps in investigating the welfare conditions of Amotekun operatives and protecting whistleblowers from reprisals.
“The demand for appointment letters, job security, and fair welfare is lawful, just, and non-negotiable. Silencing one officer will not erase the truth,” he stressed.
Efforts to get the reaction of Amotekun commander chief Adetunji Adeleye for Reactions were unsuccessful as he didn’t pick calls nor answered Whatsapp message sent to him.
