• Amotekun arrests 53 suspects over kidnapping, self-kidnapping, other crimes
• 21 foreigners allegedly found without ECOWAS papers
• Two landlords accused of harbouring suspects
Two landlords in Owo, Ondo State, are set to face prosecution alongside 21 foreigners arrested over alleged involvement in criminal activities in the state.
The suspects, who reportedly claimed to be telephone repairers and petty traders, were arrested in two separate apartments in Owo, Owo Local Government Area, following intelligence gathered by the Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun Corps.
The Corps Commander, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists at the agency’s headquarters in Akure.
Adeleye said a total of 53 suspects were arrested in connection with four different categories of crime across the state.
He expressed concern over the activities of foreigners allegedly moving into Ondo communities and forests under various guises, saying some of them were living lifestyles allegedly beyond what their stated occupations could support.
According to him, 21 foreigners from neighbouring West African countries were discovered to have rented two apartments in Owo under the guise of engaging in menial jobs and telephone repairs.
“Consistently in the last three months, we’ve been having foreigners pretending to be selling phones, pretending to be repairing phones, living in hotels that all they came into the country with does not commensurate with the lifestyle they are living,” he said.
Adeleye said the suspects had been handed over to relevant security agencies for further scrutiny and investigation.
He added that preliminary investigations showed that some of the suspects allegedly lacked valid ECOWAS documents authorising their stay in Nigeria.
The commander also faulted the landlords for allegedly renting out their apartments to the foreigners without properly establishing their identities.
“As far as the law is concerned, they are conspirators to the crime. Apart from being likely to be suspected illegal immigrants, most times when their sponsors abandon them, they become ready tools as criminals and accomplices,” Adeleye said.
The Corps commander further disclosed that four suspects were arrested over alleged self-kidnapping and raising false alarms on social media.
He said the suspects allegedly staged a kidnapping incident and used social media to create panic before security operatives intervened.
According to him, one of the suspects who reported the alleged abduction of his siblings was later discovered to be an accomplice.
“Upon detailed investigation, we found out that the man who rushed to the Amotekun Corps office to report that his siblings were kidnapped turned out to be an accomplice,” he said.
Adeleye said the suspect subsequently led operatives to a house where the person allegedly reported kidnapped was found.
He also disclosed that seven other suspects were arrested for alleged direct involvement in kidnapping activities.
The commander, however, highlighted the recovery of two kidnapped boys in Akoko as one of the major successes recorded during the operations.
He said the rescue operation was carried out in collaboration with Fulani farmers and herders in the area.
According to him, a military uniform was recovered from one of the suspected kidnappers during the operation.
“We successfully, that is, men and officers of the Ondo State Security Network Agency and the Fulani men successfully retrieved the two kidnapped boys, though wounded,” he said.
Adeleye said one of the victims sustained severe machete wounds during the attack and was receiving medical treatment at the Amotekun facility.
“We brought him back alive and prepared him to be stable now,” he added.
The commander said a leader of the community group that participated in the operation was also able to identify the suspected kidnappers.
He assured residents that the corps would sustain its operations against criminal elements across the state while urging communities to continue supporting security agencies with credible information.
