Following recent United States airstrikes on suspected terrorist hideouts in Sokoto State, operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as the Amotekun Corps, have arrested 39 individuals allegedly fleeing from northern Nigeria.
In addition to the suspected terrorists, the corps also apprehended 61 other suspects linked to kidnapping, armed robbery, car snatching, and violations of the state’s anti–open grazing law during the festive period.
The Commander of the Amotekun Corps in Ondo State, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed this on Monday while parading more than 100 suspects arrested across various parts of the state at the agency’s headquarters in Akure.
Adeleye revealed that the 39 suspects were arrested in a forest near the Elegbeka community in Ose Local Government Area. According to him, the suspects confessed during preliminary interrogation that they were fleeing the northern region following intensified military operations and recent airstrikes targeting terrorist groups.
He added that the suspects are currently undergoing profiling to determine whether they will be prosecuted in Ondo State or repatriated to their original bases.
The Amotekun commander noted that intensified boundary patrols along the Ekiti–Ondo, Osun–Ondo, and Ogun–Ondo corridors have yielded significant security breakthroughs, helping to prevent the influx of criminal elements into the state.
The arrests come in the wake of “powerful and deadly” airstrikes announced last week by U.S. President Donald Trump, targeting terrorist groups operating in Nigeria’s North-West region. In a post on Truth Social, Trump confirmed that multiple strikes were carried out, though he did not disclose operational details.
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) later confirmed that several individuals it identified as Islamic State terrorists were killed during the strikes in Sokoto State, a region bordering Niger Republic that has become a hotspot for violent extremism and mass kidnappings.
The Pentagon stated that the Nigerian government approved the airstrikes and worked closely with the United States in executing the operations.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, also confirmed the collaboration, stating that Nigeria provided intelligence support to the U.S. military. He disclosed that he held multiple discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of the strikes.
“This is the kind of cooperation we have always hoped for — working with the Americans and other partners to combat terrorism,” Tuggar said.
However, the minister cautioned against framing Nigeria’s security challenges along religious lines, stressing that the conflict is rooted in terrorism and regional instability rather than religion.
He noted that both governments agreed their public statements would clearly reflect that the strikes were directed at terrorist groups and aimed at protecting innocent lives.
“When you reduce the issue to Muslims killing Christians, you completely miss the point,” Tuggar said. “This is a regional security crisis, not a religious war.”
President Trump had previously designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern over the killing of Christians and had warned of possible military intervention before the recent strikes.
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