The Ondo State Security Network Agency, commonly referred to as Amotekun, has arrested a husband and wife on suspicion of being linked to a string of shop burglaries and the theft of merchandise valued at millions of Naira in Akure, the capital city of the state.
The accused individuals, Adewale Olokungboye, aged 29, and Ngozi Kenneth, aged 33, were displayed to the public yesterday at the security agency’s headquarters in Alagbaka, Akure.
In an attempt to shift responsibility, the husband, Olokungboye, claimed he had no prior knowledge of his wife’s involvement until Amotekun operatives arrived at their residence, tracing the stolen goods there. He did, however, acknowledge that he didn’t inquire about his wife’s absence on the day of the incident or why she didn’t return home that night.
He said: “My wife was the one that went to break into the shop. She went with Seun and Daniel in the middle of the night. It was raining heavily that night. It was when I woke up that I saw the goods that they went to steal. I did not bother to ask her where she got the goods from because I had to rush to work that morning.”
“It was when Amotekun officers came to the house to arrest them that I realised that they went to steal the goods.”
“The police have arrested us in the past for stealing. After that, I left her in Akure and went to Ado-Ekiti. This time around, I decided to come and check on the twins she had for me; that was how I was arrested with her.”
On her part, Ngozi stated that she wasn’t involved in the break-in, but only waited to receive the goods.
She said: “I was not the one who broke into the shop. I only went with Daniel. After breaking into the shop, Daniel came to meet me with the goods where I was waiting for him.” She also revealed that she used to obtain affidavits for some of the stolen goods to legitimise them.”
Addressing the situation, Adetunji Adeleye, the Commander of Amotekun, revealed that the suspects, following the theft of the goods, engaged in the fabrication of fraudulent affidavits, claiming ownership of the stolen items.
Adeleye further noted that 31 additional suspects, engaged in different criminal activities, were apprehended in different regions of the state. This included an assailant who violently targeted a motorcycle owner.