By Tola Gbadamosi
The Commander, 32 Artillery Brigade, Owena Cantonment, Akure, Brigadier General Jibril Garba, has called for stronger collaboration between the Nigerian Army and the Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, to combat crime and strengthen security across the state.
Garba made the call during a courtesy visit to the headquarters of the Ondo State Amotekun Corps in Alagbaka, Akure, where he met with the state Commander, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye.
The Brigade Commander commended Adeleye for his leadership, describing him as a person he holds in high regard.
Garba said the visit was aimed at strengthening the existing relationship between the Army and Amotekun, noting that the Corps remained an important component of Ondo State’s security architecture because of its grassroots presence and extensive knowledge of the state.
“The Nigerian Army recognises the Amotekun Corps as critical to the security architecture of Ondo State. Your grassroots presence and knowledge of the state are invaluable,” he said.
He stressed the need for closer cooperation in joint operations, intelligence sharing, operational planning and public sensitisation.
According to him, improved coordination of operational plans and schedules would help prevent duplication of efforts and incidents of “blue-on-blue” encounters among security agencies.
Garba also called for enhanced intelligence sharing, particularly on criminal hideouts in forests and along major highways.
“We want to harmonise most of our joint operations and establish communication with each other so that we can really flush out these criminals,” he said.
He further proposed regular joint public sensitisation programmes, stressing that security was a collective responsibility requiring the cooperation of all stakeholders.
The Brigade Commander described Amotekun as a “force multiplier” and assured the Corps of the Army’s continued support for civil authorities in the state.
Responding, Adeleye described the Nigerian Army as a strategic partner whose support had contributed significantly to the growth and effectiveness of the Amotekun Corps.
He said the Army had played a vital role in strengthening the corps’ operational capacity, particularly through training, mentorship and professional guidance.
Adeleye appealed to military personnel to continue to regard Amotekun operatives as partners who require mentorship, correction and continuous training.
According to him, the corps had evolved significantly since its establishment and demonstrated the effectiveness of grassroots and community-based policing.
He said the achievements of Amotekun had shown that local policing, community engagement and grassroots intelligence gathering could complement the efforts of conventional security agencies.
Adeleye, however, identified firepower as one of the major areas where the corps required military support.
“The deficiency we have is more of firepower. Once the Army is providing that and the DSS is giving us intelligence support, we are good to go,” he said.
He emphasised the need for continuous training and retraining of Amotekun personnel, noting that professionalism remained critical to effective security operations.
Adeleye expressed optimism that the relationship between the Army, Amotekun and other security agencies would continue to deepen, resulting in improved security and greater protection of lives and property across Ondo State.
The Amotekun commander welcomed Garba and his entourage to the command and expressed confidence in the Brigade Commander’s career progression.