Amotekun Nabs 149 Suspected Criminals In Ondo

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Focused on flushing out crime and criminality from the South-West region, operatives of the Amotekun Corps have arrested 149 suspected criminals at different black spots within three local government areas of Ondo State.

Commander of the corps in Ondo State, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, who paraded some of the suspects before newsmen on Tuesday, said most of those arrested claimed to have come into the state as local hunters.

According to Adeleye, the suspects, found with guns, bags of Indian hemp, cutlasses, and other dangerous instruments, were arrested where robbery and kidnapping usually occur in the local government areas.

The Amotekun Commander further said; “They surprisingly and carefully concealed and kept their weapons, bags of Indian hemp, and cutlasses under their vehicles and claimed they were coming from different parts of the country.

“The pertinent question we are asking is: “Why are they hiding their guns?” If they are genuine hunters, why not come out openly? One begins to wonder why they would come from the extreme parts of the country to hunt in a village in a forest they had never been to.

“We have very strong reasons to believe that they are the people who turn, at night, to kidnappers and armed robbers and commit various crimes, especially on bad portions of the roads and in the forest reserves of the state.”

Acknowledging that Nigerians have the right to go anywhere in the country, he said, however, maintained that such people do not have the right to go around with weapons.

Adeleye said when investigations are concluded, the suspects would be taken to the relevant government agencies for detailed profiling, adding; “The government is very clear that if you are a hunter and want to go into the forest, you have to register so that the government, kings and the hunters will know that you are there.”