Monsurat Alimi, 49, has detailed how her son, Tunde Olutayo, was reportedly killed by Amotekun Corps agents in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.
The widow said she found out about her 25-year-old son’s death on Facebook, where his body was photographed with a pistol on his chest and labelled as a cultist and armed robber.
According to the Daily Post, Olutayo was slain on Saturday after Amotekhn cops allegedly raided his Sokori residence and shot him dead when he attempted to flee.
According to the commander of Amotekun corps in Ogun, David Akinremi, the deceased Olutayo had and his gang had “engaged the corps in a gun duel” before he was hit by a bullet that later killed him.
Akinremi said that a distress call was received from residents of Sokori that they were being robbed by a group of Eye cultists.
On getting to the place, Akinremi claimed that his operatives met the hoodlums, who he said had snatched phones, money among others from the residents, and a gun duel ensued.
He said, “During this encounter, one Olutayo Tunde (a.k.a. Badoo), aged 30 years, who is the leader of this group which had previously been involved in cult killings, armed robberies and other sundry crimes in Abeokuta metro, fired at the operatives and in a swift response, he was shot on the arm in an attempt to disarm him.
“The suspect immediately ran into the nearby bush along with his other cohorts, dropping a locally made pistol which was recovered by the operatives.
“A painstaking search was conducted in the bush where he escaped, during which he was arrested while others escaped.
“He was immediately taken to Ijaye General Hospital for treatment so as to be able to extract useful information from him, but was confirmed dead shortly on arrival at the said hospital.”
However, the mother of the slain Olutayo told newsmen that the Amotekun Commander had painted a picture of what did not happen, stressing that her son was a vulcaniser and neither a cultist nor an armed robber.
Amidst tears, the woman cried out for help, saying: “Help me, I have been cheated. Tunde had a wife and a child. He worked as a vulcanizer.
“On Saturday (April 23, 2022), I was called that Tunde was at the junction of his workshop and that was where they apprehended him.
“I learnt he was shot by the Amotekun corps the moment he tried to escape from the riverbank.
“When I got to the place where he was shot, eyewitnesses told me that he knew nothing about the incident.
“I was told that while he was being taken away, he pleaded that he was not a cultist nor an armed robber.
“My son was arrested by the roadside. He told them he had a sick mother, a wife and a child at home, yet they still killed him.
“I was told that they shot him while trying to escape when he saw that other people arrested have also escaped; that was how he was shot in the arm.”
The distraught mother explained that she was not allowed to see her son until she saw the body posted on Facebook.
“Ever since the time we have been going to check on him, they never allowed us to see him until Saturday morning when we saw his death announcement on Facebook with a gun placed on his chest, claiming they found it on him. It is a lie.
“We urge the government to help ask the Amotekun to release to us his dead body. He was not a cultist. They did not inform us that he had been killed. It was on Facebook that we saw it.
“We want the government to find out what led to the killing of my son. Please help me; they want to cheat me with power. They killed my son and seized his corpse. Nigerians should help me,” the mother cried.