We’ve arrested 4,000 suspects for various crimes between January, May in Ondo — Amotekun
By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure
The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as “Amotekun Corps,” has disclosed that it has arrested no fewer than 4,000 criminal suspects for various crimes activities, ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, human trafficking, illegal possession of firearms among others between January and May 2022 in the state.
The State Commander of the Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, who disclosed this on Sunday while briefing journalists in Akure, however, described the crime rate in the state, going by statistics, dropped by more 70 percent.
He said, “On the average, between January and May 2022, we’ve made about 4,000 arrest and through the office of the Director of Public Prosecution of Ondo State, we’ve been able to send a reasonable number to correctional centres and prosecution are going on while diligent investigation are going on many others.
“The criminal suspects were arrested for various crimes including kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, rape, theft, illegal possession of firearms, child trafficking, cultism, human relations violations among others.
“Comparatively, the last five months of last year and the first five months of this year, we have a very sharp decrease in the number of suspects arrested. Last year, on maintenance of law and order in the line of violators of open grazing law alone, we arrested close to 4,000 but this year, we have not arrested up to 1,000.
“Also, comparatively too, virtually all forms of criminal activities are on the decline in the state. Unlike before when kidnapping was everyday issue, it is no longer as rampant as it was within the metropolis and even at the border towns, it is now becoming a thing of past.
“These are part of landmarks and achievements of the Ondo State Security Network Agency. You will recall that we started the year on a very good note, in the sense that December period are usually characterised by various criminal activities but last December was eventfully peaceful until we had first major carnage in Ose Local Government.”
Adeleye, while describing it as part of their landmark achievements, promised that the agency would not relent on its Operation Clean-Up efforts to eradicate crime in the state.
The Amotekun boss, noted that the successes were recorded courtesy of the collaboration with the Men and officers of Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army (NA).
Adeleye, who also spoke on the ahead of the 2023 general elections, said, “If the government of Ondo State has refrained from using Amotekun during his own election you can be sure of our neutral position on all political activities.
“We are resolute and our zero tolerance for criminal activities remain. However, in view of the forthcoming political activities and general elections, we can only advise people be law abiding, not minding the political parties they belong to because we will do the work the way it is supposed to be done.”
