...releases 380 Okada

By Tola Gbadamosi

The Ondo State Security Network Agency codenamed Amotekun on Friday paraded a six-man notorious syndicate of burglars who specialize in drugging and hypnotising and robbing unsuspecting residents of their valuables.

The State Commander of Amotekun Chief Adetunji Adeleye revealed this at the command’s headquarters in Akure, while parading suspects arrested for various criminal offences ranging from armed robbery, kidnapping, illegal possession of fire arms, fraud, stealing among others.

According to Adeleye, the group of burglars use chemical substance to spray the room of the victims, so, they will sleep off, brake the burglary, enter their houses dispose them of their valuables while some of them are raped.

The Amotekun commander, while reacting to the kidnap of the 66-year old Oba Clement Jimoh Olukotun, the Oloso of Oso, in Ajowa- Akoko, Akoko North-West Local Government Area of the state who was recently kidnapped at his residence by gunmen, said the kidnappers were being tracked and would soon be arrested.

Chief Adeleye disclosed that 380 motorcycles recently impounded for breaching laws, had been released to the owners.

His words: “We have a group of burglars that specializes in drugging unsuspecting residents of various houses, so, they will sleep off, brake the burglary, enter their houses dispose them of their valuables while some of them are raped. And because of the high dose of drugs they injected on their system, some of them don’t even wake up, so, we’ve been able to break that syndicate too.

“They don’t normally have direct access to the victims, what they do is to jump across their fences, and pump in with syringe, this chemicals into their rooms, wait for about 30 to 40 minutes, every living thing inside the room sleeps off. So, whatever they do, you don’t know again.

While speaking on the recently launched 24-hour inter-border surveillance and patrol across the southwest region of the country tagged “Operation Gba’le – Gba’ko” (meaning – ensuring sanity both at home and the forest), Adeleye said, “On the border patrols, we’ve been able to rescue a couple of victims and some arrest are being made. Most of this arrest, after due diligence, will be prosecuted and the law will take it course on them. So, that is why we are here to show part of the dividends of operation gba’le-gba’ko of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, we have 32 suspects here awaiting trial.

“You will find out that most of this criminal activities take place in places where there are no Amotekun, majority of the criminal activities between Ondo/Osun, Ondo/Oyo and Ondo/Ogun is very easy for us since we work together.

“That is why they take solace in the boundary of Edo and Kogi. But of late, I give it to the conventional Security agencies both in Ondo, Edo and Kogi states, we’ve been working together and we are seeing positive results”, Adeleye stressed.

He said the corps also apprehend a group of syndicate that specializes in hypnotizing innocent citizens and either rubbed or kidnapped them for ransom.

“We had reports that innocent citizens doing their normal businesses are apprehended, kidnapped, robbed, especially around Oja Oba, first bank, post office and Ilesah garage areas, so we lay siege and we were able to apprehend a group of syndicate that specializes in hypnotizing innocent citizens and they are either rubbed or kidnapped for ransom”.

The Amotekun commander, while reacting to the kidnap of the 66-year old Oba Clement Jimoh Olukotun, the Oloso of Oso, in Ajowa- Akoko, Akoko North-West Local Government Area of the state who was recently kidnapped at his residence by gunmen, said “as to the issue of the monarch, we tracked and we were able to have very good idea of what was happening there but what is paramount to us is the life of the victim.

“No matter how beautiful an operation is, once the victim is killed, then, it is defeated, so, these are some of the constraints that are almost natural in the course of our job to slow down. We can assure you that some of them involved in the kidnap of the monarch will be apprehended”, Adeleye added.