Bandits’ scare: Ondo Amotekun arrests 300 suspects in 3 months

By Tola Gbadamosi
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The Commander of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, has revealed that the Corps is on the red alert to forestall influx of bandits into the state.
The Corps commander stated that his men have arrested and paraded over 300 suspected criminals in the state the last three months.
He confirmed that the suspects were arrested across approximately 15 locations in the 18 Local Government areas of the state in the months under review.
He said the development followed the increased influx of bandits into the South-West region, which has kept Ondo State authorities on high alert to ensure the safety of lives and property.
Adeleye revealed that most of the suspected criminals arrested in the border communities of the state were linked to criminal activities such as kidnapping, armed robbery, housebreaking, and several other minor offenses.
Speaking with The Hope about the agency’s efforts to combat crime, Adeleye said, “we thank God Almighty for His divine protection over all my officers, men, and myself throughout the Yuletide period.
Again, we appreciate the government of Ondo State under the able leadership of Dr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa for providing Amotekun with an enabling environment to operate.
“I also thank the good people of Ondo State for the actionable information they provided to us.
“We rely heavily on grassroots intelligence. In the last three months, we arrested and paraded over 300 suspects across approximately 15 locations in the 18 local government areas of the state.
“Most of them were apprehended in connection with crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery, housebreaking, and other minor offenses.
“Some of these suspects have been prosecuted in court, while others had their cases resolved.
However, many of them remain in correctional centres across the state.
“We also have what we call Amotekun ambassadors, who operate discreetly within communities as part of our intelligence unit.
These ambassadors move across towns and villages, gathering grassroots information to help identify bad actors who collaborate with criminals.
“This system has been yielding remarkable results for us.
“All the criminals we have apprehended so far were as a result of the grassroots intelligence reports we received from villages and towns within the state.
By and large, addressing the issue of domestic security requires homegrown solutions tailored to tackle our perennial local criminal activities,” he added