***37 Women Arrested in Forest With Mattresses, Cooking Utensils
The Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, has uncovered a robbery syndicate that disguised as overnight visitors to gain access to homes before robbing unsuspecting residents across the state.
The Corps also arrested 97 suspects in connection with kidnapping, robbery, burglary and other criminal activities across the 18 local government areas of Ondo State.
Parading the suspects at the Amotekun headquarters in Akure, the Corps Commander, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, revealed that members of the robbery gang adopted a new strategy by pretending to be guests seeking shelter at night.
According to him, one member of the gang, who could speak fluent Yoruba, would knock on victims’ doors and engage them in conversation while other gang members remained hidden nearby.
Once the unsuspecting residents opened their doors, the armed accomplices would storm the house, brandish weapons and take control of the premises.
Adeleye said the criminals often forced victims to prepare meals for them before dispossessing them of cash, valuables and vehicles.
“In one local government area, we were able to break a syndicate that specialised in visiting innocent residents at night while pretending to be guests.
“They entered homes without firing a shot, locked the doors, brought out guns, ate, rested and in the early hours of the morning forced victims to transfer money to various accounts before taking vehicle keys and locking the occupants inside,” he said.
The Amotekun boss disclosed that stolen vehicles were successfully recovered during the operation.
“We were able to retrieve the stolen vehicles. These are the vehicles you see here. We also recovered a vehicle used to attack members of the security team at midnight in an attempt to facilitate an escape. The vehicle was later found abandoned in a forest,” Adeleye added.
He said several suspects arrested were linked to kidnapping networks, while others allegedly served as informants and logistics suppliers for criminal gangs operating in forests across the state.
“We equally have some individuals who confessed to being informants and suppliers of logistics to kidnappers in the forest, as well as those confirmed to be members of kidnapping groups,” he stated.
Adeleye further revealed that 37 women from northern Nigeria were arrested in various forests across the state with mattresses, cooking utensils, mortars, pestles and other household items.
He described the development as a disturbing trend that security agencies are closely monitoring.
“It is a situation where women of different ages travel into forests carrying household utensils, bedding, cooking items and personal belongings. Upon interrogation, they claimed they were fleeing security operations in the North,” he said.
The Corps Commander alleged that some individuals were being invited into Ondo State under suspicious circumstances.
According to him, one farmer claimed he invited only two workers, but those individuals allegedly arrived with 51 others in two trucks loaded with personal belongings.
“One individual told us he invited only two people to work for him, but those two brought 51 others. When we arrested the man, he confirmed that he had only invited two persons.
“These individuals then arrived with 51 others in two lorries carrying different items to an area they had never visited before. It is highly suspicious,” Adeleye said.
He disclosed that another group of 16 persons was intercepted while heading towards the volatile Ose-Owo forest axis.
Adeleye said the suspects had been profiled and their cases thoroughly investigated.
He added that Amotekun had invited leaders of the Hausa/Fulani community, including the chairman of Miyetti Allah and a former Special Adviser on Hausa Affairs, to assist in handling those not directly linked to criminal activities.
“We are handing some of these individuals over to their leaders and providing logistics to transport them out of Ondo State back to where they came from.
“However, those found with incriminating items or linked to criminal activities will face the full weight of the law,” he warned.
The Amotekun Commander reaffirmed the corps’ commitment to sustaining security operations across Ondo State and ensuring that criminal elements have no hiding place.
