Governor Seyi Makinde has approved the recruitment of 3,000 personnel for the Oyo State Security Network, codenamed Amotekun Corps, towards complementing efforts of conventional security agencies for adequate security of life and property in the state.
The chairman of the security outfit, Gen. Kunle Togun(retd), told Daily Sun during a telephone chat on Wednesday that a total of 5,000 personnel were recommended to the governor, before he approved 3,000 for a start ahead of the formal take-off of the outfit.
The Oyo State Government had on Monday, this week,begun the process of recruitment into the Amotekun Corps, by opening online registration portal for applicants that desire to work in the security outfit.
Togun, former Director of Military Intelligence and Deputy Director- General of the state security service, however, stated that natives of Oyo State aged between 22 and 50 years, both males and females, and whether educated or not, could apply to work with the outfit, adding that all interested applicants should apply online.
He explained that the form has three pages, with each page standing for different information generation. The first page requests for bio-data of each applicant, while the other two pages are for medical reports from state hospital, and attestations by two guarantors that must comprise the village head of the applicant and the lawmaker that is representing his or her constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly.
Togun, who also featured on a radio programme in Ibadan on Wednesday, said applicants should print out their slips after filling and submission of the forms online, and they must provide the slips during the screening exercise that would be made known to them, adding that the screening exercise would be in each of the seven zones of the state, which are Ibadan City, Ibadan Less City, Ibarapa, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun I and Oke-Ogun II, with a view to ensuring effective mobilisation and training of men for the security job.
He also explained that the government would not recruit groups into the corps, but individuals, saying interested members of Agbekoya Movement, vigilance group, hunters’ association, and so on could apply individually. He added that every member of such associations, if successful with the application, would no longer attend meetings of the groups, until he or she is no longer a member of the corps.
Togun, however, said the government, through Commissioner for Justice, has been working with the Inspector-General of Police to get approval for the Amotekun personnel to be equipped with assault or automatic rifles, adding that the outfit would also leverage on technology in nipping crime and criminality in the bud in the state.
He also assured members of the public that adequate mechanism has been put in place to ensure that Amotekun personnel do not trample on fundamental human rights, saying a complaints committee, that would be headed by a retired High Court judge, would be set up. The committee, according to him, would have an office and phone numbers for easy contact. He also warned members of the public against making frivolous complaints.
Togun assures further that no stone would be left unturned towards ensuring that the state is peaceful and investors-friendly, in line with the mandate given to the Amotekun Corps by Governor Makinde.