…As Akogun Adeleye reads riot act to criminals

By Tola Gbadamosi

Ondo State Commander of Amotekun Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye has again, warned criminal elements to vacate the state or face the full weight of the law.

The security expert gave the warning while parading 67 suspected criminals arrested for various offences at the Command’s Headquarters in Akure today.

Akogun Adeleye expressed that the 67 suspected criminals were arrested within the last two weeks of rounding up of operation ember months programmes the Corps embarked on across the state.

The Amotekun Commander who stated that a good number of them were suspected kidnappers while some of them are identified by their victims.

According to him; “The major reason for parading them is to send the signal to criminals that Ondo State cannot tolerate them and that the Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa-led government is resolute in ensuring that the peace and stability of the state is not truncated by them.

While stating that some of them were arrested with different types of weapons, he mentioned some of their offences to include; housebreaking, suspected robbers and murderers, adding that out of the 67 suspects, there are three that could be regarded as jailbirds.

They include; Taiwo Adeola, Juwon Olanrewaju and Olajide Olayemi.

Explaining further, Akogun Adeleye said one of them escaped from Benin, according to him, where he was answering charges bordering on kidnapping and robbery.

“Another one who claimed that he was running away from fellow kidnappers because he was not willing to join them again, was also arrested by our Corps in what he termed as his last operation in Kidnapping, before we arrested him.

“He confessed to us, that he is a member of a seven team kidnap group terrorizing Uso/Emure/Owo axis. They are undoubtedly, criminals troubling the peace of the state.

The Corps Commander further warned, that; “Once you know that there is no way you engage in criminal activities and you won’t be arrested, I want to advice them to leave the state and allow peace to continue reigning.

“I want to continue to reassure the good people of the state that the Amotekun, and all other security agencies, especially the Military, NSCDC and the police remain resolute in our determination to continue to make Ondo State safe for our socio-economic activities.

He also mentioned a worrisome group that were observed recently who are young men in their hundreds saying they are hunters with dogs entering the nooks and cranny of the state.

“On the directives of the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, we returned them to their base in the north where they claimed to come from.

“We escorted them far out of the reach of Ondo State. We have done this about three or four times, so we want to let them know, that anybody coming into Ondo State must have a place he is going.

” We must know why he is coming and he must have a reference point, not just telling us that you are coming from the north and you want to go into our forestry reserves and hunt.

“Yes, we are not opposed to hunting, but we have rules and regulations guiding whoever wants to enter our reserves, so we have sent them back to their states on the directives of the Governor”, he stated.