AKURE, ONDO STATE — A 16-year-old boy and his younger brother have been left entirely to themselves in Akure following the prolonged detention of their parents over an ongoing civil welfare dispute within the state’s security apparatus.
The boys’ father, Julius Ekuluju, alongside their mother, has been held in prison custody since December 2025 without a formal trial.
The Advocacy and Arrests
Julius Ekuluju, a prominent voice among the operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as the Amotekun Corps, was arrested after leading public demands for institutional reforms.
Ekuluju and a group of aggrieved personnel had publicly petitioned the state government to induct the Amotekun corps into the mainstream Civil Service Commission. The personnel also demanded formalized welfare packages, life insurance policies, and consistent hazard allowances, citing the high-risk nature of their anti-banditry operations.
Following the agitation, security agents arrested Ekuluju. His wife, who is a civilian and not affiliated with the Amotekun Corps, was also taken into custody and remanded alongside him.
Impact on the Family
The continued detention of both parents has forced their 16-year-old son to become the sole caregiver and provider for his younger sibling.
With no immediate family members or external financial support available, the two teenagers have spent the last five months struggling to secure food, maintain their shelter, and continue their education in the state capital.
Civil Society Reacts
The prolonged incarceration of the couple has drawn intense criticism from human rights advocates, legal professionals, and labor unions in the South-West.
Critics are openly questioning the legal basis for detaining a citizen’s spouse over a labor dispute, demanding to know what specific constitutional provisions criminalize the advocacy for better workplace welfare packages. Civil rights groups have labeled the ongoing detention without a proper court trial as a severe violation of fundamental human rights.
Deafening Silence from Authorities
As public pressure and media scrutiny intensify, the Ondo State Government and the leadership of the Ondo Amotekun Corps have declined to issue an official statement regarding the legal status of the Ekuluju family.
Human rights lawyers are reportedly preparing to file a fundamental rights enforcement suit to secure the immediate release of the couple and reunite them with their children.
