By Tola Gbadamosi

The Ondo State Security Network Agency also known as Amotekun Corps has arrested no fewer than 250 suspects, for their alleged involvements in criminal activities in the state.

The state Commander of the Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, said the suspected criminals were arrested at various locations across the 18 Local Government areas of the State.

While parading 55 out of the 250 suspects on Thursday at the headquarters of the command in Akure, the state capital, Adeleye said the suspects were involved in crimes that included kidnapping, vandalisation of transformers/cables, house breaking, illegal possession of firearms, threat to life, attempted robbery and stealing among others.

He said, “This ember months patrol is aimed at ensuring that commuters and residents of Ondo State enjoy the yuletide period without fear.

“We have commenced the 24-hours seven days patrol in the 18 local government areas of the state.

“In the state capital, we’ve commenced street to street patrol to ensure safety of property as against the last parade we did after which we had so many cases of shops and house breaking. This time around, we decided to post our men in uniform and without uniform to all the streets.

“We even posted our men to financial institutions areas, so as to prevent bank robbery in the state during the yuletide period.

“Also, the herders/farmers clashes had been reduced to five percent.

“Today’s ceremony is different, as it is a general appraisal of the security situation in Ondo State. We are parading about 55 suspects, majority of whom have confessed to the crimes. The actual arrest is about 250. But having profiled the 250, we removed the 55 that we believe the Court of law would determine whether they are fit to come back to the society or go to the correctional facility.

“For now, there is no serious political activities in the state. Students have been cooperating with the security agencies. We don’t have issues with chieftaincy affairs in Ondo State. And as we speak,  human trafficking had been reduced to zero, while the issue of neighbours unrest has also been put at rest.

“We don’t have religious crisis. For now, we don’t have issues of militancy, terrorism, while cultism has been brought to the barest minimum.

“We only have issues of kidnapping and robbery around the bad portion of the Owo and Ifon roads. Our men are always in the forests to curtail excesses of these criminals that want to take the advantage of the bad road.

“To put a stop to this, the Federal Government should quickly repair the Owo-Ifon road and make it motorable for commuters in order to reduce crimes in Ondo  State.

“We want to say that investors, workers, residents and farmers should go to their normal businesses without fear as we are approach the yuletide period.

“The summary is that we remain resolute in our slogans of Zero tolerance to crimes and we want to assure the good people of Ondo State that the government of Oluwarotimi Akeredolu remains resolute in protecting lives and property of residents and commuters plying the state.”

According to him, a lot of the youths involved in nefarious activities are actually going into criminality because they don’t have anything doing.

“I think the government should provide elaborate job opportunities. We all know the economic situation of the country is harsh and tough. In view of this, government should increase the palliatives to even those that they cannot feed.

“The palliatives should be for those that find it difficult to feed themselves. There should be a way, social insurance for the jobless people for them to feed. Once they can feed, we can now checkmate them,” Adeleye said.