Amotekun expresses concerns over spate of kidnappings at Ondo borders

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that about 11 victims returning from a burial in Edo, were kidnapped on Saturday on Ifon borders in Edo.

The Commander of the Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, stated this on Wednesday in Akure, while parading 22 suspected criminals for various offences.

Adeleye said that the criminals often escaped to towns in border states of Kogi and Edo once a crime had been committed in Ondo State.

He said that criminals knew that they could not successfully commit their act in Ondo without being caught so they escaped immediately after commiting crime.

“The robbery cases at the boundaries of Ondo, Edo and Kogi states are becoming worrisome and this is the reason our men are at alert.

“As I speak, a full compliment of 32 Brigade Artillery, Amotekun, the police and DSS have been working on series of operations with the Edo State team.

“We are waiting for Kogi to join us, because what happens most of the time is when we drive them from Ondo State, they go to Edo, once we leave, they come back.

“If you check the trend, they know they cannot successfully operate inside the main town.

“So they stay at the boundary, such that within minutes, they could get out of the state, but we are not deterred, we still trail them.

“Some of those arrested at the last incident was as a result of our intelligence work and tracking to where the three suspects were apprehended, so we are working on it,” he said.

On the suspects paraded, he said 22 of them were arrested for various offences, ranging from phone robbery, motorcycle theft, burglary, suspected cultism and kidnapping.

Adeleye said some of the criminals confessed that they travelled all the way from Abuja and targeted stealing 200 phones from each state they visited, Ondo State being the seventh.

He also said another robbery suspect was arrested for robbing someone of N4.5 million in Odigbo Local Government Area.

“It is another harvest of criminals that have been disturbing the peace of Ondo State. 22 criminals that specialise in robbing people of their expensive phones.

“They confessed to have successfully operated in seven states without being caught.

” They come to the state with two motorbikes and recruit a local that will show them the town and eventually go about robbing people the following day, of which they stole about 20 phones.

He said another group of armed robbers and kidnappers were tracked to a particular location along Ose/Owo axis.

“Two suspected cultists, robbers and buglars targeting students’ hostels because they are on holiday, were also caught,” he said.