The Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps, has arrested 39 suspects who allegedly fled from Sokoto State and relocated to forest reserves in Ondo State.
The State Commander of Amotekun, Mr Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed this on Tuesday in Akure while parading the suspects alongside 22 others arrested for various criminal offences across the state.
Adeleye said the suspects were apprehended at the Elegbeka axis of Ose Local Government Area, a known security flashpoint, after intelligence reports indicated suspicious movements into the forest area.
According to him, the suspects allegedly fled northern Nigeria following a recent United States-backed military strike on ISIS terrorist camps in the region.
He explained that Elegbeka has long been identified as a hotspot for criminal activities, which informed the establishment of a permanent Amotekun control post within the forest to combat kidnapping and armed robbery.
The commander noted that government regulations require anyone residing in forest areas to obtain official permits, adding that the sudden influx of the suspects raised serious security concerns.
Adeleye said the suspects were not trekking at the time of arrest but were hiding deep inside the forest, with their vehicles parked far from their hideouts to avoid detection.
He added that profiling of the suspects is ongoing and that those found with incriminating items would be prosecuted accordingly.
The arrests, he said, were part of the agency’s ember-month security operations across Ondo State. He revealed that about 100 suspects were arrested during the period, with 61 paraded.
A breakdown of the arrests showed that 50 suspects were picked up for breach of law and order, two for anti-open grazing violations, six for kidnapping-related offences, and three for rape and gender-based violence.
The development comes amid reports of a recent US airstrike on terrorist hideouts in Sokoto State, an operation the federal government said was carried out with intelligence support from Nigeria and resulted in the killing of hundreds of insurgents.
