Ondo State Amotekun Corps foils five kidnapping cases without paying a penny in ransom

AMOTEKUN operatives in Ondo State successfully foiled five kidnapping cases over the last fortnight without paying one kobo in ransom fees according the commanders of the regional security force who claim it is starting to live up to its billing.

Formed in January 2020 by the six states that make up Nigeria's southwest geo-political zone, Amotekun, which translates to leopard in English was designed to be a local security force that will augment the activities of the Nigeria Police Force.  It has since been equipped with 133 vehicles and 600 motorcycles by the six state governments with a mandate to help stamp out violent crime like kidnapping.

According to Adetunji Adeleye, the commander of the Ondo State Amotekun Corps, his forces arrested 17 suspects during the recent crackdown. He added that the latest of these rescue missions occurred within the last 24 hours, where a chief in a community close to Akure was kidnapped and the Amotekun Corps, in collaboration with local hunters, pursued the kidnappers overnight and rescued  the chief and an Okada rider without paying any ransom.

Mr Adeleye said: “The latest of these rescue missions took place in the last 24 hours, where a chief in a community close to Akure was kidnapped, and our distress line was contacted. With the joint efforts of the local hunters and officers and men of Amotekun, we worked overnight, pursued the kidnappers and were able to retrieve the two of them, the chief and the Okada rider that was kidnapped without payment of any ransom.

“Some of these perpetrators of evil in the Akoko axis, the northern senatorial axis of the state,  were arrested. They had actually kidnapped victims along Ajegunle Road between 1am and 2am, ravaged their farms, raped their women and ran away but our tactical team moved in, under the leadership of the area commander of our Zone Six and within 48-hours, the people were released and three suspects identified as part of the gang were arrested.”

He added that the Amotekun Corps has also arrested suspects involved in robbery and rape cases, with eight of them facing charges for order offences, three for kidnapping and six for robbery and rape. Mr Adeleye emphasised the government’s stance against kidnapping for ransom in Ondo State, urging farmers to return to their farms and assuring them of the corps’ commitment to maintaining peace and security.

“What the government of Ondo State is saying is that we are saying no to kidnap for ransom. Headers are free to do their business, farmers are free to cultivate. Farmers will not infringe on the rights of the headers, while headers have no right to destroy people’s farm.

“So on farmers and headers clashes, even though it has reduced, we are saying the government does not want it to happen to prevent scarcity of food in the next season. As we talk, the Amotekun Rangers are in the forest and we want to thank the farmers and members of the public, the Hunters Association, and the Vigilante Groups for giving us timely information to work with,” Mr Adeleye added.

Meanwhile, troops deployed to crack down some suspected bandits in some parts of Kwara State have arrested no fewer than 20  individuals, including suspected gun runners and their logistics supporters. These suspects were arrested in Ifelodun Local Government Area in a crackdown that involved the deployment of nearly 400 special security operatives.