Adetunji Adeleye, the commander of the Amotekun Corps in Ondo, says the local security outfit apprehended no less than 7,000 suspects for different crimes within the last three and half years of its creation.

Mr Adeleye disclosed this to reporters at an interactive session organised by the State Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), tagged: “The Platform”, on Wednesday, in Akure. 

He explained that the suspects were mostly kidnappers, armed robbers, fraudsters, and ritualists. According to him, at least 1,500 of them have been prosecuted in a collaborative effort with sister sisters security agencies in the state.  

“All these, coupled with our local intellect and unconventional methods, had assisted us in arresting, to date, well over 7,000 suspected criminals, out of which 1,500 of them have been charged to court. 

“We have even secured the judgement of very many of them. At a time when the turnout of criminals was becoming unimaginable for the judiciary, the government of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu graciously approved the building of two courts to assist the judiciary in the prompt dispensation of justice,” Mr Adeleye said. 

He explained that many cases were in collaboration with the men of the State Security Service (SSS), mostly in getting the geo-location of the kidnap victims and suspects. 

He noted that the agency, created in 2020 as the first regional security outfit by the South-West governors, had tremendously recorded successes in checkmating the criminal activities of the suspects in the region. 

Mr Adeleye said one of them was the incessant farmers/herders clashes in the state, noting that it had reduced by over 95 per cent in the last two years. 

According to him, the Amotekun Corps had received over 5000 petitions of herders/farmers clashes within two weeks after the agency commenced its state operations as pressure rose over the fear of being kidnapped. 

He stressed that implementing the anti-open grazing law, which the state governor introduced, had been an added advantage for the local security agency. 

While lamenting that the members of the public underrate the local security agency, Mr Adeleye said the birth of the Amotekun Corps has made the state to be adjudged one of the most peaceful states in the country.

The commander said Amotekun had started a 24-hour patrol across the 18 LGAs of the state, and within one year, Akure being the state capital, has been a relatively safe place for residents.

However, he posited that the security agency’s major challenge was inadequate equipment to withstand miscreants and criminals confronting its operatives, especially in the forest. 

“Some of the challenges we face a result of inadequate equipment has resulted and caused very precious lives of some of our men. And we remain determined as we pledged to sacrifice,” the security chief added. 

On the disciplinary action being installed among the agency officers, the Amotekun commander said four erring officers had been dismissed for running foul of the laws and rules guiding the setting up of the local security agency. 

“Several others had been sent to detention centres to ensure that they conform with the norms and standard operations practice of the organisation,” he added.