Ondo Amotekun Arrests 45 Suspected Criminals in Two Weeks
CHIGOZIE AMADI
Ondo State Security Network Agency codenamed Amotekun yesterday paraded 45 suspects arrested for various criminal offences across the state within two weeks.
The Ondo state Commander of the Corps, Mr Adetunji Adeleye, while parading the suspects in Akure, said of particular note is a suspected kidnapper who within 48 hours of his release on bail, was rearrested for another kidnapping.
His words: “We are parading 44 suspected criminals that have been engaging in various acts of criminal activities within the state. Our men have been on constant 24/7 patrol across the 18 council areas of the state and a total of 45 suspected criminals have been arrested in the last two weeks.”
He explained that the corps arrested Sunday Adegbulu, 17 years ago and a JSS3 student of Commercial Secondary School, Akure, who was electrocuted while stealing transformer cables in Akure with the intention to sell it for N25,000.
“Of particular note is a set of criminals that engage in vandalism of electricity transformers. Fate caught up with one of them, Sunday Adegbulu, who is 17 years old.”
“Unfortunately, while cutting the cables, electricity was supplied and burnt half of his body.
“After a lot of trailing, we arrested him because the moment it happened, he was rushed to three different hospitals and when they got wind of the fact that detectives from the Amotekun corps were on their trail, they moved him out of Akure. We also trailed him to the location and brought him in a very terrible state.
“He was to be killed so that he will not reveal his sponsors. We had to revive him, brought him to the health facility of the corps and we spent a lot of money to make him come back to life. He was able to tell us nine other members of the gang, including their godfather who is on the run. We are on the trail of the godfather.”
Adeleye said the corps also have “one Jubril, a suspected kidnapper that was arrested a couple of weeks ago but was released on bail and within 48 hours of his release, the residents and traditional ruler of his village called us that three people were to be kidnapped by the gang of this same suspect but we were able to apprehend them.
“It is of note that the security organisation that arrested him is still going on with the court case on the initial kidnap case. Now, he was arrested for another one.
“We have cases of those that specialises in vandalism of electrical installations of uncompleted buildings all around. They pullout the wire, pill, melt and sell them to the same kingpin that I initially said is on the run and we’re still trailing. We have few cases of house lifters and shop buglers and we have those that were arrested in connection with kidnapping and cultism.”
Accordingly to him, “Out of this 45 suspects, seven are already in court but we needed them to throw light on our ongoing investigation, so, we sought the leave of the court to allow us few more days which was granted. That’s why they’re part of this 45 suspects. As soon as we complete investigation, all of them will be taken to court to face the full wrath of the law.
“I want to appeal to the people of Ondo State that the government is resolute in guaranteeing the safety of their lives and prosperities. But, we also want to appeal that they give us timely and accurate information to work with. More than 70 percent of these criminals were apprehended due to the timely information that we got,” he added.
One of the suspects, Sunday Adegbulu, 17, who a JSS3 Student of Commercial Secondary School, Akure said he never knew that there was going to be electricity supply while carrying out the operation.
We were three in number and we were to sell the electricity transformer cable for N25,000 to Mr Abubakar. It was my second operation. During my first operation, we vandalised and stole the electrical installation of an uncompleted building.
On the latest incident, it happened on April 28, only two of us went to the transformer. I never knew that there was going to be electricity supply. It’s the handwork of the devil that pushed me to the crime”, Adegbulu said.
