The general public has been warned to be wary of criminals who pose as insane people and commit horrible crimes.
Ondo State’s command of the South West Security Network (SWSN), also known as the Amotekun Corps, was handed over on Wednesday in Akure, the state’s capital, by Corps Commander Akogun Adetunji Adeleye.
The security adviser to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, Adeleye, revealed how Amotekun Corps officers searched some lunatics in different communities in the state and discovered expensive phones on some of them while parading 26 criminal suspects at the formation’s headquarters in Alagbaka, Akure.
He said that the bulk of insane individuals in the state are criminals who use lunacy equipment to deceive the general public in order to gather information about the locations where they wanted to operate.
Akogun Adeleye revealed that two among the “mad” persons in the street who were searched and discovered to be pretenders, were arrested in Idanre and Igbara-Oke in Idanre and Ifedore Local Government Areas of the state.
According to him: “These suspects have been constituting security risk and nuisance to our state. They were arrested within last one week.
“We have two cases and it’s becoming rampant, almost every week, where on searching these mad people, we found expensive phones on them.
“We found out that majority of them only pretend to be mad in order to gather information in the particular area where they intend to operate. We have two of them, one from Idanre and one from Igbara oke.
“If you notice an usual movement about so to say mad or lunatic people, let the security agencies know on time before they carry out their activities.
“It is actually dangerous to accost a mad man, anything could happen, thereafter. The best thing is to give us a timely information and we will contact relevant security organizations to assist in ensuring that they are brought to book.”
Speaking on other activities of the formation, the Corps Commander said: “Last week, we assisted the Federal Road Safety Corps in enforcing the abuse on registration number on vehicles and motorbikes.
“So, we are open to all agencies for such assistance. So, the Ministry of Women Affairs in the state is also collaborating with us on all these, especially if we have timely information.
“We also have a pathetic case of a kidnapper, their gang kidnapped and killed a victim who came from Ogun State.
“In the interest of collaboration, we contacted our Ogun State colleagues and we were able to find out the family of the victim and the suspect is here, we are set to transfer the suspect, because the first part of that crime actually took place in Ogun State. So, we are set to handover the suspect who had been on the wanted list of Ogun State police to the Police Command of Ogun State any moment from now.
“We have another syndicate of armed robbers that operates on the highways that were caught in the act. Some of them actually opened fire on our men on patrol while they were caught in the act of armed robbery. So, all of them talking 26 had been profiled and in conjunction with the office of the public prosecution will take them through the normal prosecution process.”
Akogun Adeleye, therefore, assured people of the state that all security agencies in the state would not relent in their efforts in protecting life and property.
He said: “I want to reassure the good people of Ondo State that while relying immensely on their support for timely information, the Ondo State Security Network Agency will continue to work hard to ensure that our society is rid of criminal activities.”
