We’ve prosecuted 600 suspects in six months, Amotekun declares

• Says kidnapping reduced by 90%
• Parades one-chance, counterfeit currency, kidnapping suspects

The Ondo State Security Network Agency, otherwise known as Amotekun Corps, yesterday, said that over 600 suspected criminals had been arrested and prosecuted for various offences by the Corps between January and June 2024.

According to the security outfit, the development has led to a 90 per cent reduction in kidnappings in the state, stressing that the remaining 10 per cent of kidnapping cases occurring in the state have been limited to border communities.

The Amotekun Commander in the state, Adetunji Adeleye, who disclosed this while parading no fewer than 48 suspected armed robbers, vandals, one-chance taxi operators, dollar counterfeit syndicate members, kidnappers, and burglars, among others, said that efforts had begun to dislodge criminals operating across the boundaries of the state.

Adeleye said that the Corps would leave no stone unturned towards securing the life and property of the residents of the state.

He said: “We have 48 suspects today, and all of these suspects have been profiled and will be taken to the next level, which is the appropriate court of law to try their cases, and those that are found wanting will be sent to the correctional home.

“The signals we are sending to criminals are that Ondo State is not a place where they can stay. We want them to know that even as a kidnapper, once you kidnap, you can’t get away with it. If you steal cars, you can’t get away with them. If you break houses, we’ll pick you up. So, what’s the point of doing what you know you won’t get away with?

“We’re telling you criminals in the state to get out of Ondo State. And to the good people of Ondo State, we want to reassure you that the government of Lucky Aiyedatiwa is resolute in making the state conducive for businesses, social activities, and all that make the state a good one to stay in.

The Amotekun commander, while narrating how the suspected one-chance taxi operators were apprehended, said: “Equally, there is this syndicate that specialises in what is called ‘one-chance’ in local parlance. Unsuspecting commuters will board their vehicles, get midway, rob them, dispossess them of their valuables, and make away with them.”

Meanwhile, the leader of the counterfeit currency syndicate, Temidayo Olagundoye, 53, who confessed to the crime, said that no fewer than 16 victims had been defrauded.