Amotekun, police, NSCDC, DSS arrest 61 suspected criminals in Ondo crackdown
…nab suspects inside trucks conveying bags of beans The Commander of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, otherwise known as Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, has said the joint security operations
...nab suspects inside trucks conveying bags of beans
The Commander of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, otherwise known as Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, has said the joint security operations involving the corps and other agencies have led to the arrest of 61 suspected criminals across the state.
Mr Adeleye disclosed this at the weekend while parading some suspects in Akure, attributing the arrests to the 'coordinated efforts' by Amotekun operatives, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to him, the suspects were intercepted in a truck conveying bags of beans and were allegedly being dropped off in communities within the Akure North Local Government Area of the state.
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He explained that the locations - which are Ilu-Abo, Oba-Ile, Ayede Ogbese, and other neighbouring villages - are flashpoints for kidnapping and other violent crimes,
Adeleye stated that 95 suspects are currently under investigation, noting that 61 of them were apprehended during targeted raids in the troubled Akure North axis.
"In the last few weeks, there have been concerted efforts of all security agencies in the state, especially the Amotekun, the police, the civil defence, and the DSS, in tracking the suspected criminals. And I want to say that it has actually yielded very good results.
"The 61 arrested, found inside the trailer truck you see on the other side of this parade ground, are the suspected men that we are still profiling to determine what exactly would happen after profiling them," he said.
He said preliminary findings by the security agencies linked several suspects to kidnapping, anti-grazing violations, burglary, fraud, cattle rustling, illegal mining, and theft cases.
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He listed a different set of 12 suspects identified as Victor (31) Jonathan (34) Akpan (35) Aliu (27), Sanni (20), Adeoye (44), Ayodeji (50), Abdullahi (24), Doman (25), Isaac (20), Peter (25) and Dada (42) were connected to kidnapping cases, stating that some of them were arrested around the Akure Local Airport corridor and other hotspots in Akure North.
"These people were arrested in Iluabo Akure, Idogun-Ugbe, Alagbaka area, Ayede Akure, Iloro camp, and Ogbese," he said.
According to him, other suspects were also picked up for burglary, stealing building materials, receiving stolen goods, and threatening lives.
Mr. Adeleye specifically mentioned that one of the suspects allegedly confessed to stealing 50 cows, while another group was arrested over illegal mining activities and attacks on landowners.
"We have Ali Abubakar, who confessed to stealing 50 cows belonging to a fellow Fulani man. We apprehended him, he's here with us, and he has promised that some of the cows are still somewhere, and he is willing to bring back a few remaining out of it.
"On illegal mining activities, we have Usman, who attempted to kill the owner of the plot where they claimed they wanted to exploit gold. There is also one Abubakar and Aruna, that threatens the Inyeomah axis with carnivorous animals. Another Amadu, 55, and Suleiman, 20, were arrested in Elegbeka for kidnapping and illegal mining.
"On anti-grazing, we have Umai Jibril and Hassan. I want to place it on record that we were able to achieve this with the collaborative efforts of all the security agencies in the state, especially the police, the civil defence, the DSS, and the Nigerian army," Mr. Adeleye said.
