The Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps, has arrested no fewer than 100 suspected criminals across the state, including 39 individuals allegedly fleeing intensified military operations against terrorists in northern Nigeria.
The State Commander of Amotekun in Ondo, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed this on Thursday in Akure during the parade of suspects, linking the surge in arrests to recent US-backed military strikes on terrorist enclaves in Sokoto State and other parts of the North.
Adeleye revealed that 39 of the suspects were apprehended inside the Elegbeka forest in Ose Local Government Area, a location long identified by security agencies as a hotspot for kidnapping and armed robbery. According to him, the suspects claimed they relocated to Ondo forests to escape the renewed military pressure in the North.
He said the individuals were not passing through the area but were fully settled inside the forest, with vehicles discreetly parked far from their hideouts, suggesting an intention to establish operational bases.
“A couple of days ago, 39 suspects were arrested together, claiming that as a result of the heat turned on them in the northern part of the country, they relocated into the forest. They were hibernating there with vehicles parked nearby,” Adeleye said.
He stressed that the Ondo State Government had made it clear that no one is permitted to reside in forest reserves without proper authorization, adding that the sudden influx of unfamiliar faces into known black spots raised serious security concerns.
According to the Amotekun boss, operatives successfully trapped the suspects during a patrol operation. He noted that profiling was nearing completion and warned that anyone found in possession of incriminating materials would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
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Adeleye disclosed that the suspects are between the ages of 18 and 45, many of whom were arrested during patrols targeting kidnappers operating within forest corridors across the state.
He explained that the arrests formed part of the agency’s ember-month security operations, which covered all 18 local government areas of Ondo State and yielded significant results.
“Out of the 61 suspects paraded today, 50 were arrested for general lawbreaking, two for violations of anti-open grazing laws, six for kidnapping-related offences, and three for rape and other gender-based violence,” he said, adding that about 100 suspects had been arrested in total during the operation.
Although the ember-month patrol is expected to end shortly, Adeleye assured residents that security operations would not be relaxed. He announced that Operation Le Won Jade Phase Two would commence on January 1, while round-the-clock patrols and forest ranger deployments would continue without interruption.
Giving details of specific cases, Adeleye said two suspects, Mustafa, 34, and Philip, 45, were arrested for kidnapping along the Ofosu-Odigbo axis, while three others, Idris, 18, Ibrahim Abdullahi, 20, and Lawal Idris, 23, were apprehended in Isua Akoko.
He also disclosed the arrest of Daniel Ojo, 19, Usman, 33, and Bejide, 41, in the Isinkan area of Akure for rape and assault on Amotekun officers. In addition, Ola Tunbosun, 30, alongside Ibrahim and Shahidu, were arrested for armed robbery across Akure North, Oba Akoko and Oba-Ile.
The Amotekun commander further revealed that the corps recently dismantled a robbery gang that had been terrorising residents of Akure and its environs using unpainted taxis without visible registration numbers. He said the suspects used the vehicles to lure unsuspecting passengers before threatening them with firearms and dispossessing them of valuables.
“The robbery took place in the heart of Akure. They even stole a car on display. We were able to arrest three suspects and recover the taxi used for the operation,” Adeleye said, urging members of the public to be vigilant and avoid taxis without clear registration numbers.
He explained that the gang’s method involved picking passengers in busy areas, requesting to add another passenger who turned out to be an accomplice, and then carrying out the robbery at gunpoint.
On border security and inter-state collaboration, Adeleye confirmed that cooperation among Amotekun corps across the South-West had improved significantly following the military strikes in the North.
“The synergy between the Ondo-Ekiti, Ondo-Osun and Ondo-Ogun border patrols has been yielding tremendous results. Some suspects not paraded today were even arrested in Ogun State and brought back to Ondo,” he said.
Adeleye commended Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, for providing strong institutional support for the corps and praised other security agencies, including the police, the Nigerian Army, the DSS, NSCDC, local vigilantes and members of the public, describing the success recorded so far as a collective effort to rid Ondo State of criminal elements.
