The Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun, has apprehended 34 suspected criminals at various locations across all 18 local government areas of the state.
According to the corps, the suspects are accused of offences including kidnapping, theft, burglary, breach of the anti-grazing law and other criminal activities.
While parading 16 of the 34 suspects at the Amotekun headquarters in Akure on Tuesday, the state Commander, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, explained that the arrests were made as part of the corps’ end-of-year surveillance and patrol operation tagged “Operation Le won jade” (operation flush them out).
“The ‘Operation Le Won Jade’ that we embarked on across the 18 local governments of Ondo State has really assisted in driving away miscreants, bandits, kidnappers from our forests and this exercise is still ongoing. In addition, our regular 24-hour patrol within the metropolis is still ongoing and this has also yielded tremendous results. The total number of arrests in the last week is 34. Out of the 34, we are parading 16.
“We have a group here that specialises in vandalising government properties. They bring heavy welding equipment and cut them to size and sell. We equally have three suspected kidnappers who were arrested in the course of carrying out such nefarious activities.
“There is an Abubakar arrested in Ogbese, a 24-year-old boy, for anti-grazing. We have Usman arrested for stealing a drilling machine. We have Olamiju, 35, arrested as a suspected kidnapper. Udofia and Miracle for the same offence in Agbaje camp at Ala-Dada, in Akure North LGA.”
Following the incidents of kidnapping of school children in some parts of the country, the Amotekun commander said the corps was making frantic efforts to ensure that the state is safe from terrorist attack.
He stated that the command had commenced the patrol of schools, particularly the boarding schools across the state.
“In the wake of this recent outcry of security breaches and kidnapping, the corps has commenced full enhanced patrol of all boarding schools in the state. In the last week, we’ve visited so many of the schools.
“We’ve mounted surveillance on all those schools with boarding facilities, especially the ones in the border towns of the state and the outskirts of the towns. We have equally stepped up the activities of 24-hour patrol, ember month patrol has also been enhanced at our borders to ensure protection.
“I want to reassure residents of the state that the security agencies are ensuring that the safety of lives and property in Ondo State is guaranteed,” Adeleye stressed.
Earlier in November, the corps arrested 16 illegal immigrants who were found wandering in some parts of the state.
The corps also arrested 22 persons who were allegedly involved in various criminal activities across the state.
