Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, on Wednesday reaffirmed that security remains the fulcrum upon which sustainable development rests, warning that no society can prosper in an atmosphere of fear and no economy can thrive where lives and property are unsafe.
He stated that no government can legitimately claim success if it fails in its primary responsibility of protecting its people.
The governor spoke at the passing-out parade of Batch 05 (BR05) of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun Corps, held at the historic parade ground of the Ondo State House of Assembly Arcade Complex in Akure.
Describing the ceremony as symbolic, strategic and historic, Aiyedatiwa said the event marked a decisive step in consolidating the state’s security architecture.
He noted that the occasion evoked memories of his late predecessor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, whom he described as “Amotekun 001” for his pioneering role in establishing the corps.
The governor said the newly recruited operatives are well-trained, disciplined and ideologically reoriented men and women who have volunteered to serve in the interest of peace, stability and collective survival of Ondo State.
Congratulating them on completing what he described as a rigorous training programme, Aiyedatiwa said they arrived as civilians but are departing as guardians of the homeland, ambassadors of lawful authority and custodians of community trust.
He explained that his administration’s continued investment in Amotekun was driven by strategic foresight and realism, not sentiment or politics.
According to him, the corps was conceived as a community-rooted, intelligence-driven and law-guided security outfit designed to complement federal security agencies while responding swiftly to local realities without compromising the Omoluabi ethos.
The governor said BR05 represents not just an increase in manpower but an upgrade in operational capacity and a renewed commitment to securing every part of the state — from forests and farms to highways and homes.
He disclosed that the operatives underwent comprehensive and uncompromising training, including physical conditioning and endurance drills; tactical field operations and patrol management; grassroots intelligence gathering; inter-agency collaboration; civil-military relations; rules of engagement and use-of-force principles; human rights and civic responsibility; as well as ethics and discipline rooted in Omoluabi values.
Aiyedatiwa emphasised that operatives must be not only physically fit but also disciplined, sound in judgment and restrained in the use of authority.
He stressed that the strength of Amotekun lies in professional conduct, intelligence-led operations, community trust and strict adherence to the rule of law.
Describing their mandate as solemn and sacred, the governor urged them to discharge their duties with integrity, responsibility and respect for the Constitution, reminding them that they are not above the law but agents of it.
He assured the corps of continued government support through improved logistics, better equipment, enhanced intelligence coordination and sustained training, noting that farmers, traders, commuters, students and families across Ondo State are counting on their service.
In his welcome address, the Commander of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, cautioned the new operatives that they are agents of the law and must never act above it.
Adeleye said the corps was deliberately structured as a legal, community-based and intelligence-driven security outfit to bridge local security gaps, support conventional forces and respond effectively to threats specific to the state’s terrain and communities.
He clarified that Amotekun was not established to rival existing security agencies but to complement them through collaboration with the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Police, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the National Boundary Management Agency and other relevant agencies.
He noted that contemporary security challenges — including banditry, kidnapping, communal conflicts, farmers–herders clashes and the infiltration of rural communities by criminal elements — require professionalism, restraint and integrity.
According to him, members of BR05 are entering service at a critical time, and their responsibilities extend beyond physical deployment to include vigilance, confidentiality and loyalty to the state.
Adeleye warned that acts of indiscipline, corruption, abuse of power or collaboration with criminal elements would attract strict sanctions, stressing that the image of the corps will be shaped daily by the conduct of its operatives across communities.
He added that the training was designed to produce disciplined operatives, not militants; professional responders, not aggressors; and community protectors, not oppressors.
The commander commended the governor for improving the welfare of personnel through the provision of vehicles and equipment, enhanced salary packages, life insurance, NSITF coverage, welfare benefits above standard civil service levels and upgraded training facilities.
