The Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, on Tuesday paraded 28 suspects for alleged offences ranging from kidnapping, armed banditry, cultism, rape and stealing.
Speaking during the parade at the Amotekun headquarters in Akure, the State Commander, Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed that the Corps equally dismantled an alleged kidnapping syndicate involving a father and three of his sons, rescued their victim alive and recovered more than 75 per cent of the ransom paid by the victim’s family.
Adeleye said one of the principal suspects had been on the Corps’ watchlist since 2024 over alleged kidnapping activities in Ondo North Senatorial District before he was eventually apprehended during a series of operations conducted over the last four days.
According to him, the victim was abducted while travelling to Oba Akoko, noting that the victim’s family paid ransom to the kidnappers without informing security agencies, but the abductors still refused to release him and allegedly threatened the family against reporting the incident.
“The family eventually came to the Amotekun office after the kidnappers collected the ransom and still refused to release the victim. We immediately swung into action,” Adeleye said.
He explained that investigations led operatives to an alleged criminal hideout where a father and three sons were discovered to be directly involved in the kidnapping operation while using cattle rearing as a cover.
“In the course of the operation, they attacked our men, but we succeeded in rescuing the victim. They had tortured him with knives and cutlasses, inflicting injuries on his head. We rushed him to a nearby hospital and were able to recover over 75 per cent of the ransom paid. We also recovered drugs, alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and what appeared to be materials used to blindfold the victim,” he added.
The Commander identified the suspects arrested in connection with the case as Iliasu, 56, and his sons, Usman, 33, Wahab, 27, and Yakubu, 18, all arrested in Oba Akoko, adding that two other suspects, identified as Musa and Aruna, were also arrested in separate kidnap-related cases in Owo.
He further disclosed that several other suspects were apprehended for offences including armed banditry, illegal possession of firearms, robbery, cultism, rape, stealing, conspiracy and breach of peace across different parts of Ondo State.
Adeleye assured residents that the Corps had strengthened its security architecture across the state, stressing that criminal elements would no longer find refuge in either forests or urban communities.
“There is no hiding place again, both in the forests and in the towns. The Amotekun Corps has been strategically positioned in all parts of the state to guarantee that commuters and residents can go about their lawful activities without molestation,” he said.
Fidelis David
