…..Parades 28 of them.
In an effort to tackle insecurity, the Ondo State Security Network, code-named Amotekun Corps, has declared that the agency is now tracking down godfathers and sponsors of suspected criminals arrested in the state.
The State Commander of Amotekun Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed this while while parading 28 suspects on Tuesday in Akure.
He pointed out that the corps had gone beyond arresting criminals and suspects alone, but now after their backers, adding that some of the suspected kidnappers were arrested at villages along Owo-Ifon-Benin road.
He said the suspects were apprehended for offences ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, cattle rustling and vandalism to burglary and illegal possession of firearms.
Among those paraded were four suspected kidnappers arrested in Elegbeka identified as Kwangi, Kana, Sam and Daniel, aged between 18 and 27.
Others included Abiola (24), held for fraud and rape, Ogungbemi for sexual assault and Tosin for assault.
The Corps also recovered stolen cattle rustled from Fulani herders in Igbara-Oke.
The alleged rustlers, Abubakar Musa and Umar Mohammed, both 20, were arrested and the cows returned to their owners.
A syndicate specializing in burglary and theft of laptops, phones and motorcycles was also dismantled.
Six suspects, aged between 29 and 69, were paraded, including a 69-year-old man accused of running a ring that attacked motorcycle riders to dispossess them of their bikes.
Other arrests included suspects linked to the theft of pumping machines, electrical materials and unlicensed firearms.
In a particularly disturbing case, Adeleye revealed that a 16-year-old girl found wandering in Ore five months ago after being drugged and molested was rehabilitated at the Corps’ health facility.
After months of treatment, the girl regained her memory and was eventually reunited with her family in Oyo State.
Adeleye described the rehabilitation as part of Amotekun’s “corporate social responsibility” to victims of crime.
He also credited the success of recent operations to support from sister agencies, the Police, NSCDC and DSS as well as residents who provided intelligence.
“The security architecture of Ondo State is firm. Criminals can no longer thrive in our forests. Farmers can return to their farms. But we urge citizens to promptly report suspicious activities,” he said.
Chief Adeleye, who said the criminal world was getting more sophisticated, hence, Amotekun Corps would also be evolving to protect the citizens in collaboration with other conventional security agencies.
The commander also said Amotekun had dominated the forests, which was no longer a safe place for criminals to thrive and urged farmers can go back to their farms.
“Amotekun always strives to be ahead of them. As we talk now, we are now after their godfathers and backbones, and the reason is simple. We don’t want to relent. Hence, our fight is not against the criminals alone, but against their sponsors.
“So we are saying that until we uproot them, we won’t have total peace. The chain of criminality has to be broken and uprooted. We need the socio-economic growth of the state to continue to increase.
“By the intervention of Amotekun, the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Ondo State increased by over 500 per cent in 2023. The directive of Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State is to create an enabling environment for investors to bombard the state.
“The security architecture of Ondo State is firm, and the best criminals can do is to run away from this state. The joint patrol team in some parts of the state is still ongoing.
The commander also said Amotekun had dominated the forests, which was no longer a safe place for criminals to thrive and urged farmers can go back to their farms.
“What we are saying is that when you see something, quickly say something and let us intervene because if you delay, the delay might be dangerous,” he said.
