…… Assures Travellers on Safety Trips, seeks Citizens’ Supports
Travellers plying Ondo/Osun states and other boundary link roads in Ondo State have been assured of safe trips by the Ondo State Security Network otherwise known as Amotekun Corps.
Speaking with newsmen at the headquarters of the formation yesterday at Alagbaka, Akure, the Ondo State capital, the Corps Commander, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye disclosed that the joint inter-border patrol tagged: “Operation Gba’le Gba’ko” has yielded positive results.
He said criminals operating, particularly along Ife/Ilesha/Akure highway have been dislodged from the forests along the axis.
The Special Adviser (Security Matters) to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, revealed that the joint patrol teams of Ondo and Osun Amotekun Corps are on the highway to prevent armed robbers and other criminals who usually attacked travellers from carrying out their dastardly acts again.
“Other forests linking Ondo State with other neighbouring states have also been put under surveillance by the formation.
According to the Corps commander, “We want to assure all travellers coming in and out of Ondo State that our roads are safe.
“Our joint inter-border patrol, which we tagged: Operation Gba’le Gba’ko, has yielded great success.
“All the forests along Ife/Ilesha/Owena/Akure highway have been combed and criminals dislodged to prevent them from attacking and dispossessing travellers of their money and goods, particularly at night.
The Amotekun Corps commander lamented that his men are being attacked by some unscrupulous individuals in the fight against crimes in some communities.
He said despite the fact that the Amotekun corps were armed, they were attacked because the unscrupulous elements knew they could not shoot at them, noting that they used other dangerous objects to attack them.
Akogun Adeleye, therefore, called on community leaders, traditional rulers, parents and guidance to caution their subjects, children and wards to stop attacking security agents who take risks to protect them.
He disclosed how one of the officers of Amotekun corps was attacked with a farm tool, Go-To-Hell, by a suspect who was resisting arrest.
“Though the official attacked was armed, he didn’t shoot his attacker who was eventually arrested.
“It is unfortunate that we have overcome the issue of banditry in our state, but we are being faced with attacks from our people who we are protecting.
“There was an incident where we went to restore peace where two groups were fighting. When they sighted us, the two groups faced us and started shooting, throwing stone at us. We lost one of our men in the process.
“Throughout this incident, we didn’t engage them in gun duel. We succeeded in arresting some of them.
“It’s high time our community leaders, traditional rulers, parents and guidance educated their people that we are security agency protecting them through conventional and unconventional means.
“They should stop attacking our men. Though we have instructed and trained our men not to shoot when being provoked, anyone who attacks our men shall be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
“Let me educate these unscrupulous individuals that Amotekun Corps is a product of legislative act by Ondo State House of Assembly. Anyone found breaching the law and order of the land would be arrested and prosecuted by Amotekun Corps.
“Amotekun Corps was not established as a rival security agency but rather to complement the operations of other existing security agencies in the state to protect life and property of the citizenry,” Adeleye said.
