Operatives of the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), also known as Amotekun, took Olayinka Aguda, a student at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, from Apata in Ibadan, Oyo State, on December 30, 2022. Since then, no one has seen him, and his whereabouts — whether dead or alive — remain unknown.

Residents of Apata summoned the Amotekun on December 30, 2022, to protect them from armed robbers in the area, but they started shooting indiscriminately when they arrived. The sound of their gunshots woke Aguda, who started running, thinking the thieves had gotten close to his house.

Lawrence Oreoluwa, a friend of Aguda, told EQ that Amotekun shot Aguda while he was running for cover after the deafening gunfire near a school close to his house.

Oreoluwa said Aguda’s knee-jerk reaction to flee was understandable, given the frequent armed robberies in the area at the time.

READ MORE: Oyo Resident Shot and Whisked Away by Amotekun 371 Days Ago Has Not Been Found

A reliable source told EQ that the Amotekun unit arrested four other men from the same neighbourhood and presented them as robbers at the Apata Police Station. However, they took Aguda away and no one knows his fate to date.

EQ has repeatedly contacted both Amotekun and the Oyo State Police since first reporting the incident in 2023. While the police have promised to follow up, Amotekun has not responded, with their phone lines often unreachable.

To find out what has become of the matter, EQ contacted one of Aguda’s distant relatives. The relative told EQ that he had no interest in pursuing the matter any longer as Aguda’s direct family had not given him the momentum to be concerned with their lukewarm approach to finding their son.

READ MORE: Oyo Community Asked for Protection From Robbers. Instead, Amotekun Shot a Resident and ‘Kidnapped’ Him

EQ called Aguda’s mother on Monday, but she handed the phone to a lady who identified herself as Aguda’s sister. After quizzing our reporter to find out their intent, the lady said her father would contact EQ.

On Sunday, Oreoluwa told EQ that he was “not sure they (the family) did anything concerning it because no one said anything about it (the matter) again”.

EQ attempted to contact the official line of Amotekun’s Ido Local Government Area branch, which is responsible for the security of Aguda’s neighbourhood, but the line did not connect. They had not responded to a text message sent to their phone at press time.
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