The Ondo State Security Network, also known as Amotekun, on Wednesday, said over 100 suspected criminals have been arrested across the state in the last ten days in its ongoing “Operation Clean -Up” which began early this month.
The Commander of Amotekun Corps in the state, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, who disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Akure, the state capital, said all arrested criminals would be profiled before being handed over to appropriate security agencies for comprehensive investigation and prosecution.
Adeleye disclosed that two suspected cattle rustlers were arrested by his men after complaints by some Fulani herders in Omotosho area in Odigbo Local Government Area of the State.
According to him, the cattle rustlers bolted away after sighting men of the Amotekun corps, abandoning their vehicle, a NISSAN Serena Bus marked LAGOS FJ 423 KRD and the cows.
He said: “One Alhaji Ilyasu, a Fulani man, came to us that some people came with a bus to steal their cattle and we sent our men after the cattle rustlers. We were able to recover the vehicle they planned to use in stealing the cows, we also recovered the cows.
“We were able to trace some of the rustlers to somewhere in Ogun State and apprehended two of them, Sudauna Gombe and one Ogunyale Sola, who was the driver of the abandoned Serena Bus.
“We have handed them over to the Agro Department of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for detailed investigation.
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“We also recovered two cows from the rustlers and we have returned them to the Fulani man that owns them, while we brought the vehicle to our office here because the rustlers ran away and abandoned the vehicle. The two arrested suspects had confessed their involvement.”
Adeleye also disclosed that the corps arrested 16 cattle destroying a farm in Osi community in Akure North Local Government Area of the state, while one of the herders who attacked the men of the security outfit was arrested.
He explained that “some farmers from Osi community reported the destruction of their farms by some cattle and we sent our men there to assess the situation and invite the herdsmen.
“But unfortunately the cows are still grazing on the farms while the herders attacked our men with knives and other dangerous weapons. We were able to arrest one of the herders named Abdulkadir Mohammed and the cattle.”
The Commander said the security agency has held a series of meetings with the Myetti Allah leaders from Ondo, Ekiti and Osun states to educate them that Amotekun is for them all.
He appealed to the Myetti Allah leaders to appeal to their members that they should desist from destroying farmlands of residents where they are.
“I want to appeal to herders to do their business without destroying another person’s means of livelihood.
“As a Nigerian, they have the right to do their business anywhere but they do not have the right to destroy another person’s source of livelihood, which is farming.”
Adeleye also disclosed that the Amotekun corps arrested one Lawal Abubakar, who was in possession of a gun without a license along Ago Panu Forest near Owo on his way to Ose.
He said the suspect would be handed over to the police for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Amotekun arrests over 100 suspected criminals in Ondo
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