The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, say it arrested no fewer than 80 people for allegedly being involved in criminal activities in the state.
The corps said the suspects were arrested since the beginning of the year 2023.
While explaining that the suspects were nabbed in various parts of the state and outside the state for alleged involvement in crimes, the corps revealed that it had been able to prosecute 32 of the suspects following the conclusion of investigations.
According to the Commander of the Amotekun Corps in Ondo State, Akogun Adeleye, among those arrested were herders, who allegedly destroyed the 10 hectares of cassava farm of the immediate past Vice Chairman (Southwest) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Eddy Olafeso.
Adeleye stated that the culprits fled to neighbouring Ekiti State after destroying the cassava farm where they were apprehended.
The Amotekun boss also said that a four-man syndicate that specialised in snatching tricycles and selling them off outside the state was also tracked to Lagos State.
Adeleye said, ” In the last three weeks, 80 criminals were arrested.
“Last week, about 32 were taken to court for prosecution, investigations are going on in most of these ones and some of them at the end of the day were found to be victims of circumstances, like those that come out without a means of identification at odd hours and were discovered where they are not supposed to be.
“Those ones were released to go upon proper interrogation while some were released on bail.
“But what we have here is about 36 men and women engaged in various criminal activities ranging from murder to anti-grazing, stealing of motorcycles, stealing of grinding machine, stealing of Keke Napep, stealing of various household equipment including generators, and armed robbery.
“Majority of these ones have concluded the investigations, and one of them will be going to court early in the week next (this) week. This is what we have been able to put together in the last three weeks.
“A criminal is a criminal, regardless of where they come from. We don’t want to give colour to criminality, a criminal is a criminal.
“Once you engage in criminal activities, the signal we are sending is that Ondo State is a place where you can’t thrive as a criminal. The criminals should better leave Ondo State, not only within the town but within the forest.
“Some of these criminals were arrested right inside the forest. Again, the anti-open grazing law is in force in Ondo State where we discouraged the use of underaged for grazing, especially when they engage in the destruction of farm products.
“Some of them engaged in very massive destruction. We arrested some of those that were engaged in the destruction of one of the principal officers of PDP that went viral, saying that his farm was destroyed. We caught them and we brought them to book.”
Adeleye added, ” In the last two weeks, we observed an increase in the rate of missing people within the town.
“And our discreet investigations reveal that most of these people who board Okada that is not registered with SITA and are not registered with the okada association, even their bikes are not registered at all.
“So it becomes very difficult to identify them and the majority of the victims that manage to escape that we interrogate thereafter told us that those kidnappers put on hoods and put helmets on it.”
The Amotekun boss noted the arrests were successful following the collaboration with other security agencies.
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