The Ondo State Commander of the Western Security Networks Agency, codenamed Amotekun, Adetinji Adeleye, has announced that the corps has arrested 250 suspects for alleged criminal activities, sequel to the flag-off of its 2023/2024 Ember Months Campaign (EMC) Operation 24/7 Patrols and Joint-border Patrols of the corps two weeks ago.
Adeleye said that the operations would ensure that criminal activities were reduced to the barest minimum before, during and after the yuletide.
Parading the suspects at the corps headquarters in Akure, Adeleye said that the actual arrests were 250, but having profiled them, 195 were released to traditional rulers in their communities while 55 would be prosecuted.
He said: “Two weeks ago, we commenced the 2023 edition of the ember patrol, aimed at ensuring that commuters and residents of Ondo State enjoy the yuletide period without fear and in furtherance of this, we commenced 24 hours-seven-days patrol in the 18 council areas and the state capital.
“In this state capital, we commenced street-by-street patrol and decided to post both plain clothes and uniformed Amotekun men all across.
“As you can see today, we are parading 55 suspects. Majority of the suspects have confessed to the crime. The actual arrest is about 250 but having profile them, we have 55 of them that we believe that the court of law should tell us whether they are fit to come back to the society or go to the correctional services.
“Some of them were involved in kidnapping, vandalisation of transformers, house breaking, illegal possession of firearms, threat to life, attempted robbery and a good number of them were involved in stealing of fuel.
“A number of them too were involved in destruction of federal government critical assets that has do with stealing of cables, transformers and we even have a case of arson that we promptly put into abreast (sic).
“We also checkmate the effect of residents who wanted to take laws into their hands by lynching suspects that had issues on accident with Okada ridders.”
Adeleye, who doubles as the special adviser on security matters, said that herder-farmer clashes had been resolved substantially while the ritual of bank robbery had come to an end in the state.
“Again, the yesteryear ritual of bank robberies has come to an end in Ondo State. So, we have posted our gallant and able bodied men at areas that are close to financial institutions to ensure that there would not be bank robbery in the state during the yuletide period.
“We also say that the herder-farmer clashes have been put in abeyance. It has been reduced to less than five percent.
“Today’s event is different because it is a general appraisal of the security situation in Ondo State. On pending enforcement, especially those that have to do with compliance with rule of order. I think Ondo State has passed that test. On conformity with law and order, we have little britches.
“There have not been serious issues on political activities, students have been cooperating with the security agencies and we do not have issue with chieftaincy affairs in the state and as we talk, human trafficking has been reduced to barely zero.”
Adeleye noted that the issue of labour unrest, religious crisis, militancy and cultism had been reduced to the barest minimum.
He hinted that the corps had established four different control points in the forest around Akoko and Ose axis to checkmate nefarious activities of criminals in the forests.
“The issue of labour unrest has also been put at abreast, the anti-grazing farmers/herders clashes like I said has been reduced. Religious crisis, we don’t even have, on militancy, we thank God there is no issue; terrorism for now, we don’t have; cultism has been reduced and the issue of kidnapping and robbery, we have issues around the bad portion of road between Owo and Ifon.
“We are putting pressure on the relevant agencies to assist with the free flow of traffic, but despite the fact that that has not been effectively been done, our men are all over in the forest to curtail the excesses of criminals that want to take this as advantage.
“We have established four different control points in the forest around Akoko, Ose axis and we believe that no nefarious activity will happen there.
“As we talk, we want to say that investors and residents should go out with their daily activities without fear as we prepare for the yuletide festivities”, he said.
While assuring the people of the state that the administration of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu remained resolute in protecting lives and properties of residents and commuters plying Ondo State, Adeleye added that Amotekun remained resolute in its slogan of zero tolerance for crime in the state.
