Makinde ignored security advice, Amotekun should patrol instead of parking vehicles — Togun

A former Deputy Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Brig.-Gen. Kunle Togun (retd.), has criticised the deployment strategy of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, saying its operatives should focus on active patrols of identified flashpoints rather than stationing vehicles along roadsides.

Togun, a former Chairman of the Oyo State Amotekun Corps, made the remarks while speaking on efforts to tackle insecurity and kidnapping in the South-West. He argued that the purchase and display of security vehicles alone do not translate into effective security operations.

According to him, he had previously submitted detailed recommendations on vulnerable locations requiring security surveillance, including areas that needed 12-hour and 24-hour guard coverage, but his advice was not implemented.

“I gave them all the places they needed to patrol, all the places they needed 12-hour guards, and all the places they were supposed to station 24-hour guards. I gave them everything,” he said.

The retired military intelligence officer warned that security personnel who remain stationary could become targets for criminal groups, stressing that modern technology should be deployed to track criminal elements and support military operations. He questioned the practice of parking Amotekun vehicles along highways, asking whether such an approach could genuinely be described as patrol.

Togun also accused South-West governors of paying insufficient attention to security matters, claiming that the late former Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, was the only governor in the region who demonstrated strong commitment to addressing security challenges. He said that despite being appointed chairman of Amotekun in Oyo State by Governor Seyi Makinde, many of his recommendations were not adopted. Togun recalled that a group of retired military officers had conducted a comprehensive security threat assessment for the South-West and submitted their findings to regional leaders.

According to him, the report was first embraced by Akeredolu when he chaired the South-West Governors’ Forum. He added that copies were later forwarded to Makinde and subsequently to the current forum chairman, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, but alleged that no meaningful action had been taken on the recommendations.

Togun maintained that governors, as chief security officers of their states, should take greater responsibility for tackling insecurity. He argued that security votes and available resources should be directed toward practical security measures, insisting that stronger commitment and implementation of expert recommendations were necessary to address growing security threats across the region.