As Yuletide is known for season for brisk business by criminals, Ondo State Security Network, also known as Amotekun Corps, has embarked on 24hours, 7 days patrol across the 18 local government areas of the state and arrested 255 suspects.
The suspects were arrested at different points for different offences, most of them at black spots and in the late hours of the night.
Some of them were apprehended while vandalising cables for electrification of communities, while some of them looted shops and homes carting away electronic appliances, money and other effects.
At some failed spots on Owo/Ifon road, where motorists and commutters are being kidnapped occasionally, some armed kidnappers were arrested.
However, only 55 among them have questions to answer in the court of law after the completion of the ongoing investigations.
Addressing newsmen during the parade of the 55 suspects at the headquarters of Amotekun Corps at Alagbaka, Akure, the Ondo State capital, the Corps Commander, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye said the formation would continue to work round the clock to make the state inhabitable for criminals.
He was worried by the deplorable condition of Owo/Ifon, which is the shortest route from Lagos to the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), because kidnappers have been exploiting bad spots on the road to abduct motorists and commuters.
Akogun Adeleye, who’s also the Special Adviser(Security) to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, urged the Federal Government to fix the Owo/Ifon road for smooth traffic to prevent kidnappers from abducting motorists and commuters on the road.
Explaining the security strategy, he said: “This ember months patrol is aimed at ensuring that commuters and residents of Ondo State enjoy the Yuletide period without fear.
“We commenced the 24-hours 7days patrol in the 18 local government areas of the state. In the state capital, we commenced streets by streets patrol to ensure that as against the last parade we did that we have so many instances of shop-breaking, house-breaking, we decided to post those in uniform and not in uniform Amotekun men to all streets.
“We even posted our men to around where the financial institutions are to ensure that there will be no bank robbery in Ondo State during the yuletide period. Also the herders/farmers clashes had been reduced to five percent. While today’s ceremony is different, it is a general appraisal of the security situation in Ondo state.
“We are parading about 55 suspects, majority of these suspects had confessed to the crimes. The actual arrest is about 250, but having profiled the 250, we removed the 55 that we believe the court of law should tell us whether they are fit to come back to the society or go to the correctional services.
“We have issues of kidnapping and robbery around the bad portion of the road between Owo and Ifon, our men are always in the forest to curtal the excesses of these criminals that want to take the advantage of this bad road.
“To put a stop to it, the federal government should do quickly repair this Owo-Ifon road and make it pliable for commuters in order to reduce crimes in Ondo state.
“We want to say that investors, workers, residents and farmers should go to their normal businesses without fear as we are approaching the yuletide festivities. zero tolerance for crimes remains resolute with Amotekun people.
Some of those that we arrested were involved in kidnapping activities, vandalisation of transformers, house-breaking, illegal possession of firearms, treat to life, attempted robbery, stealing of fuel, destruction of cables amongst others.
“The summary is that we remains resolute in our slogans of zero tolerance to crimes and we want to assure the good people of Ondo State that the government of Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu remains resolute in protecting lives and properties of residents and commuters plying the state.”
Commenting on rise in cases of youths engaging in nefarious activities, the Corps Commander said: “I think the government should provide elaborate job opportunities. We all know the economic situation of the country is harsh and tough. In view of this, government should increase the palliatives to even those who cannot feed.
“The palliatives should be for those that find it difficult to feed themselves. There should be a way, social insurance for the jobless people for them to feed. Once they can feed, we can now checkmate them why they go into criminality.”
