Ondo Amotekun rescues kidnapped victims, arrests five suspects 

File copy of Amotekun officers

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The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, on Thursday said it arrested five persons in connection with some criminal offences, including kidnapping, attempted abduction, and fraud that occurred in the state in the last few days.

The state Commander of the Amotekun corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, at the agency’s headquarters in Akure, the state capital, said the arrests followed multiple operations carried out by Amotekun operatives within the last 48 hours under ‘Operation Le Won Jade’, supported by the border patrol and the ongoing 24/7 ember-month security watch.

Adetunji explained that four of the five suspects were arrested in connection with a kidnapping incident that occurred around 4:50 p.m. on Monday, saying a distress call alerted Amotekun to heavy gunfire in a forested area, prompting the deployment of a rapid response team, which joined forces with local security personnel.

He said, “On entering the forest where the incident occurred, our men came under heavy attack. At the end of the operation, we successfully rescued four of the five kidnapped passengers, though the bus driver was shot dead when the attackers tried to stop the vehicle.”

The commander further stated that the rescue operation lasted for over three hours as operatives combed the forest.

“Among those rescued were three women and the bus conductor. One of the women, who was shot by the attackers before Amotekun’s arrival, was stabilized at the corps’ health facility. Two of the suspected kidnappers who allegedly fired at the officers and killed the bus driver were arrested during the operation,” Adeleye narrated.

In a related development, the Amotekun boss said the corps foiled an attempted abduction of a female correctional service officer.

The suspects had posed as visitors to inmates and pretended to be assisting the officer to the town before attempting to kidnap her.

She managed to escape by raising an alarm near the Amotekun outpost at Cathedral Junction, where operatives rescued her and apprehended the suspects.

Reiterating the commitment of the corps to the safety of the people, Adeleye declared that Ondo State remained a hostile territory for criminals.

“There is no hiding place for criminals, bandits or kidnappers in Ondo State. All rescued victims received treatment at no cost, and no ransom was paid.”

The PUNCH reports earlier that the state governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, approved the recruitment of 500 additional Amotekun personnel as part of efforts to boost local security.

He said, “In our efforts towards improving the security architecture of the state, we have just given the approval for the recruitment and training of 500 new officers of the Amotekun Corps.”

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