A sweeping security operation across Ondo State has led to the arrest of 95 suspected criminals, as authorities intensify efforts to curb kidnapping and other violent crimes troubling parts of the state.
The arrests, carried out by the Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun, spanned all 18 local government areas. Of those apprehended, 12 are being investigated for alleged involvement in kidnapping, while dozens of others are linked to offences including burglary, stealing, illegal mining, and breaches of public order.
Speaking in Akure on Sunday, the Amotekun Commander, Akogun Adeleye, said the operation was the result of coordinated intelligence and joint field efforts involving the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Department of State Services, and the Nigerian Army.
According to him, 61 of the suspects were intercepted inside a trailer truck and are currently undergoing profiling to determine their level of culpability. Nineteen others were arrested for disrupting law and order, while three were linked to violations of the state’s anti-grazing law amid lingering farmers-herders tensions.
Adeleye disclosed that several of the kidnapping-related arrests were made in Akure North Local Government Area, a region recently plagued by security concerns. Other locations where suspects were apprehended include Ilu-Abo, Idogun-Ugbe, Alagbaka, Ayede, Iloro Camp, and Ogbese.
He expressed optimism that the arrests would help restore calm, particularly in Akure North, where joint security operations remain ongoing.
Among those paraded were suspects identified as Victor, Jonathan, Akpan, Aliu, Sanni, Adeoye, Ayodeji, Abdullahi, Doman, Isaac, Peter, and Dada, all aged between 20 and 50.
The commander emphasized that 34 suspects were publicly presented, while 61 others remain under investigation.
Reiterating the state government’s stance on crime, Adeleye warned that Ondo would not serve as a refuge for criminal elements. He stressed that security agencies would sustain collaborative operations to safeguard residents and protect property a cross the state.