Ondo Amotekun nabs 39 suspected terrorists fleeing Sokoto

•Group demands sack of Osun Amotekun leaders

FOLLOWING Christmas Day airstrikes carried out by the United States’ military in Sokoto State, the Ondo State security outfit, codenamed Amotekun, yesterday, said it has arrested 39 suspected bandits who fled Sokoto State.

Parading 100 suspected criminals arrested across the state, the Amotekun Commander, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said that the 39 suspected bandits claimed they fled from Sokoto State.

Adeleye said that after escaping from the North, they relocated to the forests in Ondo State.

The Amotekun Commander said: “Some days ago, 39 suspects were arrested, claiming that as a result of the heat turned on them in the northern part of the country, they are relocating into the forest. 

“We are still profiling them; after the profiling, we may have to send them back, but those found with incriminating equipment and materials will surely be prosecuted.

“The state 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. I have them equally arranged.”

Adeleye added that the synergy between the border patrols of Ekiti/Ondo, Osun/Ondo, and Ogun/Ondo has yielded tremendous results, “such that we have some suspects not paraded today because we have not completed investigations. We had to go to Ogun State to bring them back.”

Speaking on other suspects paraded, the commander said: “We have arrested about 100 suspects, out of which 61 were paraded, 50 of them engaged in breaking the law and order; two on anti-open grazing, six on kidnapping-related cases, and three on abuse of gender and rape.”

The commander said that the age bracket of the suspects ranged between 18 and 45 years.

On alleged rape, Adeleye said that three suspects, including a 19-year-old Daniel Ojo, a 33-year-old Usman, and a 41-year-old Bejide, have been arrested in the Isinkan area of Akure.

Adeleye commended Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa “for giving us an enabling environment to thrive. We thank all security agencies in the state for the support we received from them.”

Group demands sack of Osun Amotekun leaders

Meanwhile, a coalition of civil society organisations in Osun State, The Osun Masterminds, TOM, yesterday, urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to sack heads of Amotekun over its lack of push to tackle security issues for which it was established.

TOM’s Executive Director, Professor Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, stated this in the December state-of-the-State address in Osogbo.

The group recalled its warning to the Governor before the appointment of ASP Adekunle Omoyele (retd) as the corps commandant of Amotekun, citing his disciplinary records which led to his forceful retirement from the police.

Speaking for the group, Oyedokun-Alli said reorganising the outfit would be in the best interest of the state and its people, especially in the face of kidnapping and banditry, which has affected neighbouring states with which Osun shares borders.

He said: “Yet again, we are compelled to refer to the malfunctioning of the Amotekun Corps in our dear state. Apart from the unfortunate murder of some citizens of the state in Akinlalu, the general extortion and high-handedness of the rank and file of the Corps, the leadership under ASP Omoyele (retd) leaves much to be desired! 

“While we hear of the lofty and giant strides of the Amotekun Corps in Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti and Lagos states, we are so disappointed with the Osun Amotekun in this regard. Gone were the lofty strides of the Osun Amotekun under Mr Shittu Amitolu and Brigadier General Adewinnmbi (retd). We urge Governor Ademola Adeleke to, as a matter of urgency, reorganise the Corps in the overall interest of the people of Osun. The time is now. The issue of terrorism and banditry has knocked on the doors of our neighbours and we cannot afford to be caught unaware.”

Culled from Vanguard