The Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as the Amotekun Corps, has apprehended at least 32 individuals suspected of engaging in various criminal activities throughout the state.
Among those arrested is a key suspect in the killing of Mr. Nelson Adepoyigi, a ward chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was abducted alongside two others near his farmland on the Ifon-Owo road in Ifon, the administrative center of Ose Local Government Area, last month.
While presenting the suspects at the Amotekun headquarters in Akure on Monday, the Corps Commander, Akogun Adeleye, stated that the arrests were made across all 18 local government areas of the state.
According to Adeleye, the suspects are being held for various alleged offenses, including kidnapping, rape, robbery, and theft.
He disclosed that the arrested individual linked to the APC chieftain’s death had confessed to the crime.
He said, “Today, we are parading 32 suspects. These 32 suspects were arrested across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State for infringement of the existing laws. I also want to place on record that the task force put in place to bring sanity to the restive in Akure North is still in force, the Amotekun Rangers are domiciled with officers and men from all security agencies in and out of the area. So, as we talk, in the last 14 days, there has been no bad incident of attack on farmers and residents of Ago-Oyinbo, Ago-dada and the Power line area where we usually have attacks.”
He continued, “Again, one of the prime suspects of the killing of a ward chairman in Ose (LGA ) had been arrested, he had confessed and he had taken us back into the forest where we retrieved some of the items they took from their families (families of the victims).”
Adeleye emphasized, “What we are saying in effect is that in the last two weeks in Ondo State, we have been able to ensure that there is no ransom paid for kidnapping, which remains the position of the good people and government of Ondo State.”
Providing more detail on the arrests, Adeleye added, “For those breaking laws and order, we arrested 20 suspects, pending enforcement, no suspect arrested in the last two weeks. Land and chieftaincy matter; no suspect arrested. In the labour union, no suspect was arrested.
On anti-grazing, only one suspect and he will be facing the law as stated in the anti-open grazing law. On human trafficking, none. On kidnapping, we have 10 suspects and the majority of them are the victims, identifying them.
On robbery, we have two. These two are here today with the victims and this one happened on the Benin Expressway. They had been arrested and an investigation continues on them. On rape, we have only one suspect.”
He identified the kidnap suspects as including individuals aged between 18 and 45, such as “a 35-year-old Ali, a 30-year-old Habeeb, a 45-year-old Bobade, a 25-year-old Shedrak, a 25-year-old Adamu, a 20-year-old Adelewa, a 40-year-old Suleiman, a 20-year-old Mohamed, an 18-year-old Suleiman Isiaka and an 18-year-old Husseini. All are being investigated as suspected kidnappers.”
He further mentioned that these suspects were apprehended in Ute-Owo Forest, Jugbere Forest, and Ipele in Owo, while some robbery suspects, including a 23-year-old named Michael, were arrested in the Roscoe area of Odigbo. Another suspect, a 37-year-old Lawal, was taken into custody for forgery, providing false information, and aiding and abetting robbery around the Powerline Axis.
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