Amotekun nabs 39 suspected terrorists hiding in Ondo forest

The Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as the Amotekun Corps, has recorded a major breakthrough in its fight against insecurity with the arrest of 39 fleeing suspected terrorists in Ondo State.

According to reports, operatives of the Amotekun Corps apprehended the suspects during a security operation at the Elegbeka Forest in Ose Local Government Area of the state. The forest area has recently been under surveillance following intelligence reports suggesting it was being used as a hideout by criminal elements.

The Corps Commandant of the Amotekun in the state, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed this while parading about 61 suspected criminals at the corps headquarters in Akure, the state capital.

Adeleye said those arrested confirmed they had fled their respective states due to ongoing airstrikes against terrorists.

He disclosed that the arrested suspects were between the ages of 18 and 45, stating that they were hiding in the forest with two vehicles parked at a distance.

“The major issue is, why were they in this black spot in the forest then, when we were on patrol chasing kidnappers, and they claimed the heat was turned on them?”

He noted that the sudden influx of these elements raised many questions being investigated by the Command.

“A couple of days ago, 39 suspects were arrested altogether, claiming that as a result of the heat turned on them in the northern part of the country, they are relocating to the forest.

“They were not trekking. They were hibernating in the forest there, with two vehicles far away from them. So, we found out, trapped them, and located where they were all hiding. We brought them together. As I said, profiling is almost completed.

“We are still profiling them, and after profiling, we may send some back. But those found with incriminating equipment and materials will surely be prosecuted.

“The government has made its position known: For you to stay in our forest areas, you must obtain permits. So, the sudden influx of these elements poses a lot of questions that we are still working on,” he said.

On other suspected criminals, Adeleye, about 100 of them were arrested across the 18 local governments of the state, out of which 61 were paraded.

He said 50 were apprehended for breaches of law and order, two for anti-open grazing violations, six for kidnapping-related cases, and three for gender abuse and rape.”

“Coming to specifics, around the Ofosu-Odigbo area, we arrested 34-year-old Mustafa and 45-year-old Philip for kidnapping at the scene. We also have, in the Isua Akoko axis, 18-year-old Idris, 20-year-old Ibrahim Abdullahi, and 23-year-old Lawal Idris.

“On rape and assault on Amotekun Corps officers, we have 19-year-old Daniel Ojo, 33-year-old Usman, and 41-year-old Bejide for raping in Isinkan. On armed robbery, we arrested 30-year-old Ola Tunbosun, Ibrahim, and Shahidu at the shores of Akure North, Oba Akoko, and Oba Ile, also in Akure North,” Adeleye said.