Three Amotekun officers injured in gun battle with suspected kidnappers in Ondo

...Hoodlums abduct seven farmers in Akure North, demand N100m ransom

...Security team ambushed while trailing suspects in dense forest

Three officers of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, known as the Amotekun Corps, have sustained serious injuries following a violent encounter with suspected kidnappers in Akure North Local Government Area.

The operatives were ambushed in the forest while tracking a gang believed to be responsible for the abduction of seven farmers in the Itaogbolu area on Saturday. The victims were taken while harvesting palm fruits on their farmland.

Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Mr Adetunji Adeleye, said the suspects opened fire upon detecting they were being followed by security personnel.

“We caught up with them yesterday, but they opened fire on us, which resulted in my men sustaining severe injuries. Three of them were almost killed,” Adeleye stated in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

He confirmed that the injured officers were rushed to hospital and are receiving medical care. None of them died in the attack.

The abductors have reportedly reached out to the victims’ families, demanding a ransom of N100 million for the release of the seven farmers.

Adeleye maintained that the Amotekun Corps remains on the trail of the suspects and is determined to secure the victims’ safe return.

“We are hot on their trail. We are camped in the bush and that is where we sleep. By God’s grace, we will secure the victims’ release,” he declared.