Amotekun to prosecute 142 criminal suspects in Ondo

The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps, said it had concluded arrangements to prosecute no fewer than 142 suspected criminals in court.

The state command of the Amotekun Corps said the suspects were allegedly involved in various crimes, including kidnapping, anti-grazing violations, farmers’ clashes and cultism.

The state commander of the corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed this during the parade of criminal suspects at the corps’ headquarters in Akure on Friday.

“We are shifting attention from the number of suspects arrested to the number of suspects being prosecuted. In the last one month, we have concluded the case files and successfully transferred the cases of about 142 suspects to courts of competent jurisdiction, ranging from those arrested for kidnapping, anti-grazing violations, farmers’ clashes and cultism.

“All of these are going through the normal processes of prosecution in the various courts where their cases were transferred. As part of our activities, we have arrested about 64 suspected criminals who are being profiled as we speak. The same thing will happen to them as soon as we finish profiling them.

“Those worth prosecuting will be taken to courts of competent jurisdiction, while others that would use the alternative dispute resolution method to resolve their issues will be resolved.”

Adeleye also stated that a leader and two members of a criminal gang that had been terrorising the state had been apprehended, adding that the suspects were allegedly receiving directives from outside the state in a bid to destabilise the Sunshine State.

According to him, the suspects have confessed to the commission of the crime, and they would be handed over to the Department of State Security Services for further investigation and onward prosecution.

“I want to place it on record that the Ondo State Security Network Agency, through credible intelligence and very dogged activities of the operational department of the corps, was able to get to the root of some of these criminal elements.

“Some of these criminal elements being transferred had very sinister motives which, by the grace of God and the support of the Ondo State Government and all security agencies in the state, we were able to nip in the bud.

“Specifically, the group that claimed responsibility for a number of violent robbery attacks, kidnapping and wanton destruction of properties, the group leader that takes directives from somewhere outside the state was apprehended.

“Their supply line was broken and apprehended, and one or two other members of this group were equally apprehended in a very fierce operation carried out by men of the Ondo State Security Network Agency.

“Because of the sensitive nature of the criminal activities of this group, they are going to be handed over to the Department of State Security Services for further interrogation and possible prosecution.

“The essence of this is to bring respite to the minds of the good people of Ondo State that their enclaves, at least those discovered in the forest, had been dismantled.

“We will continue, in conjunction with all other security agencies — the police, the army, the DSS, Amotekun and Civil Defence. You would agree with me that Ondo State has a very large forest area that spans over 18 local governments and equally borders with three states.

“On all these, the joint team of all security agencies in the state had commenced a massive clearance operation so that all these criminal elements can be driven away from our forest areas.

“This will ultimately translate to better security for our society,” the commander stated.

He commended other security agencies in the state — the men of the Nigerian Police, the army, the DSS and the NSCDC — saying their collaboration had been making the operations successful.