By Tola Gbadamosi

Men of the Ondo State Security Network Agency codenamed Amotekun Corps, have arrested 149 suspected criminals who were arranged in various trucks across three local government areas of the state.

This was coming barely a week ago, that the Corps Commander paraded 31 suspected criminals whose offences range from kidnapping, house breaking, illegal possession of firearms among others.

The Ondo state Commander of the Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye made the disclosure while parading the suspects at the Command’s Headquarters in Akure on Monday.

According to him, “A couple of weeks ago, we started having very heavy influx of strange people within our forest reserve areas and within the Ondo State territory.

“Majority of these people who claimed that they were coming into the state as hunters, were arrested around the black spots where we have robbery operations and kidnapping in the local governments where they were nabbed.

” They surprisingly and carefully concealed and kept their weapons, bags of Indian hemps and cutlasses under their vehicles.

He added, that the arrested 149 suspects have been profiled, while some of them are still being questioned.

“If they are genuine hunters, why not come out openly, but one begins to wonder why they would come from the extreme part of the country to hunt in a village, in a forest they have never been to before in Ondo state?

“No doubt, as Nigerians, they have the right to go to anywhere in the country, but they do not have the right to go with weapons.

” As hunters, we had expected that they would have made consultations to find out their limitations.

“In Ondo State Forestry reserves, the government is very clear, that if you are a hunter and wants to go into the forest, you have to register, so that government, the kings and the hunters will know that you are there.

“However, we want to appeal to commuters, that if you have any reason to do your legitimate business in Ondo State, please consult the relevant agencies and to our Baales, the Kabiyesis and the good people of the State, we can no longer tolerate this kind of people without mission, entering our forest areas.

“We have very strong reasons to believe that they are the people that turns at night to kidnappers, armed robbers and commit various crimes, especially in the bad portions of the roads and in the forest reserves of the State.

” When we finish investigation, we will send them to relevant government agencies for detailed profiling and those that would be sent back to their states will be sent back, but those we find guilty of criminal intentions will be tried in the court of competent jurisdiction, Akogun Adeleye stated.

It would be recalled, that the Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa had last week, directed, that even to the last criminal in the state must be smoked out and nabbed.

The Governor also directed that buses commuting pupils in the state must be protected and placed on serious surveillance to ascertain that they are taken to their schools and back to their destinations without any hitches.