UPDATE: Ondo Amotekun arrests suspects in connection to Owo Attack

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The Ondo State Commander of Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, on Thursday, said some suspects have been arrested by his men in connection with the attack and killing of worshippers in St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo.

Adeleye who disclosed this in Akure, Ondo state capital while parading about 71 suspected criminals at the command’s headquarters, said his men are still on the trail of the perpetrators, with an assurance that the hoodlums would be arrested.

The Amotekun Commander, however, did not give the number of the suspects arrested in connection with the attack but said the vehicle used by the suspects to escape from the scene to the forest has been recovered.

Adeleye said “As regards the Owo incident, we have recovered the last vehicle they used for that operation and we made some arrests and we have also recovered some vital things which we are working on.

“A number of people have been arrested concerning the Owo issue as well as a good number of equipment. On that day, we pursued them to the point we recovered the vehicle and we are still pursuing them

“We have told you that until we get to the root, I can assure you that the perpetrators and their sponsors will be brought to book.”

Speaking on the arrest of 71 suspected criminals across the state in the last month, Adeleye said the suspects were arrested for offences ranging from armed robbery, cattle rustling, kidnapping, rape, cultism, fraudulent acts and human trafficking among other crimes.

He said “In the last few weeks, we have been under serious pressure of attack. In the same vein, men of the Ondo State Security Network Agency have equally gone out after these criminals.

“We are parading 71 suspects. The suspects were arrested within the last month for various offences ranging from armed robbery, cattle rustling, suspected kidnappers, rapists, fraudsters and human traffickers.

“The 71 suspects were picked while committing offences and others were tracked to their hideouts in forests.

“We have been able to get a cartel that specialises in stealing and dismantling motorbikes which we all know as okada. Also, we were able to recover over 30 bikes during the operation from these criminals.

“We also got reports from some herdsmen that their cattle were stolen. We went after them and brought the cows back to the Fulani herdsmen that own the cow”

He said further that “We have a group of small boys who are under 18 years old that turned themselves into a cartel of criminals in a particular local government in Ondo State and armed themselves. They actually belong to a cult group called ‘Agbado’. We were able to arrest 12 out of the 17 members.

“We also have about three to four suspected kidnappers and we intend to take most of these suspects, especially the ones we have concluded their investigations to the DPP and for their onward prosecution in court.

“We want to assure the good people of Ondo State that we will not rest on our oars until we get to the bottom of ridding the state of criminal elements.

“There is no hiding place for them. They turned the heat on us and we have also turned the heat on them.

He noted the increase in the number of criminal activities in the northern senatorial of the state but assured that the Amotekun “men have stepped up efforts to tackle these criminals”

He said, “Recently, the number of this sad occurrence in the northern senatorial part of the state had been on the increase. We are intensifying all efforts to get to the root of the mischievous and barbaric acts of these criminal elements

“So to the people in the northern senatorial district, especially in the border towns in Akoko, we will continue with our “Operation Clean up” until when the very last of these criminals are driven out of these forests”

Adeleye assured the people of the coastal communities that his men are working in the area to stem the rate of crimes in the riverine communities.

We have integrated men from the area into Amotekun. In the southern part of the state, Amotekun men are working on the waters and land.

“What we don’t have for now and what we are pleading for is speed boat and gunboats to confront pirates on the seas, but our men are on the sea even without it, that is why you find out that we have relative peace in the coastal part of the state”