Amotekun recovers stolen vehicle, rescues victim in Ife/Ilesha/Akure road

The ongoing joint patrol operation of the Western Nigeria Security Network, Amotekun across the region is yielding positive results as men of the Amotekun corps foiled a robbery operation along Ife/Ilesha expressway in the early hours of Thursday, rescuing four men and recovered vehicles.

The armed robbers numbering about 20 operated on the Ife/Ilesha expressway unhindered in the middle of the night and were said to have been given hot chase by the Amotekun Corps after snatching vehicles.

Speaking on the operation, the Ondo State Corps Commander, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said his men patrolling the road received a distress call that the hoodlums have blocked the road and were robbing motorists and their passengers.

He explained that “during a joint operations by men of the Amotekun in Ondo and Osun States along Ife/Ilesha/Akure road. We are on patrol at about 1am when we got distress call that robbery spree is ongoing along Osu junction.

“So our men rushed to the scene which is some few meters after Osu junction, we met over 70 vehicles parked on the road and we had to manouvered to the spot only to find out that the robbers are actually at work and they opened fire on our men immediately they sighted them.

“They exchanged fire with men of the Amotekun and we pursued them into the bush and we were able to retrieve this car, Toyota corolla, that was stolen from the owner and some other 46 vehicles parked at the spot.”

He said the Amotekun Corps rescued the four occupants of the vehicle while the armed robbers had injured some of them, stabbing them after beating them.

“This man was not as lucky as others, before we got there he had been badly beaten and macheted and we had to rush him to an hospital where they administered first aid treatment to avoid serious casualty.

“This is to assure the good people of Osun and Ondo states that we will stop at nothing in joining forces with other security agencies in ensuring that criminals are chase away from this area.”

He however, advised motorists to avoid travelling at night, saying “despite out 24 hour patrol, I want to advise our people to avoid traveling at night where avoidable but I can assure you that we are always on the road.”

The victim, Mathew Olakanmi said he was traveling from Lagos to Jos, Plateau State to deliver the vehicle when he ran into the armed robbers.

He said the armed men stopped him on the road and started shooting sporadically but said he managed to reverse his vehicle from the spot to escape from them but said he ran into other member of the gang who hde laid seige in the bush.

He said the robbers threatened to shoot and kill him and other occupants of the vehicle, saying “I had to stop and surrender the car key.

“We were flagged down on the road by these men, I thought they are policemen only to discover that they are armed robbers. They tried to shoot me and I had to reverse about a kilometre before I ran into other gang.

“They took the car key from me and started beating us, they took all my documents and money and I escaped from the spot but other people in the vehicle are not lucky.

“They stabbed and matcheted them and beat them and took them as hostage. I want to appreciate the Amotekun and South West governors for this initiative.”

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents

In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.