Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has approved the recruitment of no fewer than 500 new personnel for the state’s Security Network Agency, otherwise known as Amotekun.
Aiyedatiwa revealed that the move had become imperative in order to improve and strengthen the state’s security architecture. He disclosed this during the inauguration of a new cohort for the office of the Justices of the Peace, JPs, on Friday in Akure, the state capital.
The recruitment comes amid agitation by some aggrieved operatives over the non-issuance of formal appointment letters nearly four years after their recruitment. The affected officers, in a petition filed by their legal counsel and human rights activist, Tope Temokun, lamented the state government’s failure to regularise their official engagement since they were recruited in 2020.
While emphasising that the revival of the office of the Justices of the Peace after nearly 17 years of inactivity will give citizens an active role in local justice delivery, the governor reiterated a renewed commitment to the rule of law and community cohesion.
With a total of 130 appointees, drawn from all walks of life, sworn in, the governor maintained that the exercise reflected the diversity and inclusiveness of the state’s renewed grassroots justice initiative.
He urged the new JPs to play their part in enhancing local security, peace and justice in their respective communities, adding that their office is a “sacred responsibility,” requiring integrity, wisdom, decorum and fairness.