TheCable

Adetunji Adeleye, Ondo commander of the south-west security network known as Amotekun, says the group has arrested about 29 suspects and rescued a 23-year-old lady abducted on a farm.

Speaking to journalists on Monday, Adeleye said the resurgence of kidnappers in the state made members of the security outfit scout the forests to apprehend them.

“We were about to pick up the suspected criminals, especially the kidnappers and we are also about to bring the victims who have gone through terrible times in their hands,” he said.

“The resurgence of kidnapping within the state made us go deep into forests to fish out these kidnappers.

“We have a total number of 29 criminals, and about 20 of them are suspected kidnappers. We also invited all those that came to complain that they were kidnapped in the last three to four months in the state and they were able to identify the majority of them.

“As a matter of fact, we had to cross the river before we were able to arrest them, and we were equally attacked by the majority of them. We also found out that these criminals live in our forests along Ala-Dada, Jugbere, up to Ijagba and we were able to comb the forests.

“Some of these criminals engage in feeding victims, charging their phones, and a lot of other things that they do.

“This is to send a strong signal that even crossing the water will not deter Amotekun from fishing these criminals out of Ondo state. The only solution is for all these criminals and kidnappers to pack and leave Ondo state.

“The signal we are sending to the public is we will continue to rely on your cooperation and we will also strive to ensure that Ondo state remains very safe, there is no cause for alarm.”

Odey Regina Olayemi, the lady who was kidnapped at Ago-Oyinbo village in Akure north LGA, said she regained freedom after seven days in captivity.

She said she was kidnapped from her farm by three armed kidnappers.

Describing her ordeal as horrific, the victim revealed that the sum of N350,000 was paid as ransom.

“My mum and dad were in the town, I now went to the village to go and help my sisters before our resumption in order to get money to take to school,” she said.

“On that fateful day, we were at the farm and suddenly we saw these three kidnappers coming towards where we are, I now told my sisters that these Fulani people are coming to our side and that I’m going to run, but they said that I should not go anywhere that they are not going to do anything to us.

“When they got to us, they asked us to kneel down and we knelt down. At that moment we started begging them. Two of them were with guns while the third person was with cutlass. They later asked me to stand up and told me that I should be following them. They took a cassava stick and started beating me as we were going.

“I spent seven days with them, they asked for my dad’s number but I told them that I did not know it off-hand because I have already lost my memory.

“I later told them I did not have parents again, that they have died, and that I just came to the village to help my sisters so that I will get money to take care of myself when I get back to school.

“But they said it was a lie, that they knew everything about my family and I later gave them my number because I was not with my phone on that day.

“Immediately I gave them my number, and they started calling the phone but nobody picked it up. Later one of my sisters that came from Akure to our village picked up the call and they informed her that they have kidnapped me.

“It was that my sister who now went to the Amotekun office to report before Amotekun swung into action to rescue me and I thank God that they rescued me.”