By Dayo Johnson, Akure
The Ondo state security outfit codenamed, Amotekun, has expressed concern over the influx of kidnappers and other suspected criminals from the border states of Ekiti, Edo, and Kogi.
The commander, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, expressed concern while parading 43 suspected kidnappers and other criminals in Akure, the state capital.
Adeleye, who attributed the ugly development to the heavy presence of security personnel in Ekiti State, lamented the increase in the cases of kidnapping in the state.
According to him, the criminals usually flee to towns in Kogi and Edo after they have perpetrated their crimes in Ondo.
While lamenting that the cases of kidnapping at the boundaries of Ondo, Edo, and Kogi states are becoming worrisome, the commander called for collaboration of the security personnel from the states.
“We still have issues with security challenges on our borders, especially the Kogi/Ondo border and the Edo/Ondo border. We are working on it and collaborating with other security agencies.
“As of yesterday morning, a combined team of security men, specifically the Army from Kogi and Ondo, Police from Kogi and Ondo, and Amotekun from Ondo, joined hands together to try to fish out the perpetrators of the last kidnapping around the Akunu/Ayere axis in Kogi/Ondo.
“The actual thing that you saw on social media happened in between those two communities, and we have been raising alarm in places where we don’t have the grassroots local security that we can work with.
“We have been having issues, but we are happy, however, that the people of the community joined and collaborated with us, and the search still continues.”
According to him, “We have been able to go this far because the governor specifically gave a directive to fish out all these perpetrators of evil, especially along the border.
“The state governor also gave a directive to all security agencies to ensure that this week and next week, as we commence the activities to honour our late governor, the father of Amotekun in the Southwest, Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor, said there must be no security breach.
“All hands are being put in place to ensure that people come in happily and freely to celebrate the exit of an icon that all of us know.”
Speaking on the suspects arrested and paraded, Adeleye said that they include kidnappers, burglars, and other criminals.
According to him, more than half of the suspects were involved in kidnapping cases, adding that they were arrested across the 18 local government areas of the state.
“Today, we have 43 suspected criminals picked from across our various operations across the 18 Local Government Areas of Ondo State.
“The astonishing thing about our parade today is the sudden upsurge in the suspects that we have on kidnapping.
“About half of the 43 suspects are suspected kidnappers that we have reasonable reasons to question.
“We have over 50, but those that we here have reason to be here for questioning because of what we found around them.
“I want to trace this to the heavy presence of security personnel in Ekiti, and I want to believe that they are being driven to Ondo State, but we want to tell you that Ondo State can never be a safe haven for criminals.
“We have risen up to the challenge and all of them that we have picked in kidnap scenes, during kidnap, and during an attempt to kidnap with credible information while victims identify some of them”
“We also have some that we arrested with local arms and ammunition, and we’re not able to justify what they wanted to do with the arms and ammunition.
On farmers-herders clashes, the Amotekun commander said that “we have an increase in the number of herders farmers clashes in the northern part of the state and these are actually the areas where we have security breaches.