The Ondo state security network, codenamed Amotekun Corps, today said it embarked on massive raiding of major forests in the state to smoke out kidnappers from their dens.
To this end, the Amotekun Commanders, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye said 20 kidnappers had been arrested after the forest operations including those who abducted a 23-year-old lady, Odey Regina Olayemi, who spent seven days in their captivity.
Parading 29 suspected criminals in Akure, the Amotekun Commander said the recent resurgence of kidnapping within the state made the security agency to carry out the special operations.
Akogun Adeleye who noted that some of the suspects were involved in buying foods and other items for the kidnappers and their victims, added that some victims were also rescued during the operations.
Speaking with journalists at the Amotekun headquarters in Akure, one of the kidnapping victims, Regina Olayemi who was kidnapped at a farm located at Ago-Oyinbo village in Akure North Local Government Area by four armed men, commended Amotekun for apprehending the criminals.
HOW I SPENT 7-DAYS IN KIDNAPPERS DEN, ONDO YOUNG LADY VICTIM REVEALED
A 23-year-old student, Odey Regina Olayemi, who was kidnapped recently and released seven days later by one of these criminals narrated her ordeal with her abductors, has narrated her ordeal while in the abductors’ den.
Olayemi was kidnapped at their farm located at Ago-Oyinbo village in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo state by four armed kidnappers.
The victim, who described her ordeal as horrific, however, revealed that the sum of N350,000 was paid for her ransom and she spent seven days in the kidnappers’ den.
Speaking with journalists on Monday at the Amotekun Corps headquarters in Akure, Olayemi said; “My mum and dad were in the town, I now went to the village to go and help my sisters before our resumption in order to get money to take to school.
“On that faithful day, we were at the farm and suddenly we saw these three kidnappers coming towards where we are, I now told my sisters that these Fulani people are coming to our side that I’m going to run but they said that I should not go to anywhere that they are not going to do anything for us.
“When they got to us, they asked us to kneel down and we knelt down at that moment we started begging them, two of them were with guns while the third person was with cutlass.
“They later asked me alone to standup and told me that I should be following them, they took cassava stick and started beating me as we were going.
“I spent 7-day with them, they asked for my dad’s number but I told them that I did not know it off head because I have already lost my memory. I later told them I did not have parents again, that they have died, that I just came to the village to help my sisters so that I will get money to take care of myself when I get back to the school.
“But they said it was a lie, that they knew everything about my family and I later gave them my number because I was not with my phone on that day. Immediately I gave them my number, they started calling the phone but nobody picked it. Later one of my sister that came from Akure to our village picked the call and they informed her that they have kidnapped me.
“It was that my sister now went to the Amotekun office to report before Amotekun swung into action in order to rescue me and I thank God that they rescued me.”
The Amotekun Corps Commander, Adetunji Adeleye, who also spoke on how the Corps rescued the young lady said about 29 people have been arrested for allegedly involved in various criminal activities in the state in recent times.
Adeleye said; “We were about to picked up the suspected criminals especially, kidnappers and we were also about to bring the victims who had gone through terrible times in their hands physically.
“The resurgence of kidnapping within the state made us to now to go deep into forests to fish out and smoked out these kidnappers. We have a total number of 29 criminals. Out of it, about 20 of them are suspected kidnappers.
“A step further, we also invited all those that come to complaint that they were kidnapped in the last three to four months in the state and they were able to identified majority of them.
“As a matter of fact, we have to crossed the river before we were able to arrest them, and we were equally attacked by majority of them. We find out that these criminals leaves in our forests along Ala-Dada, Jugbere, up to Ijagba and we were able to comb the forests.
“Some of these criminals engages in feedings victims, charging their phones, and a lot of other things that they do. And this is to send a strong signal that even crossing the water will not deter Amotekun from fishing these criminals out of Ondo state. The only solution is for all these criminals and kidnappers to pack and leave Ondo state.
“The signal we are sending to the public is we will continue to rely on your cooperation and we will also strive to ensure that Ondo state remains very safe, there is no cause for alarm,” Adeleye said.
