The Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun in Ondo State, says it has arrested 27 suspects for various offences within two weeks across the 18 Local Government Area of the state.

The state Commander of Amotekun corps, Adetunji Adeleye, made the disclosure while parading the suspects before journalists on Tuesday in Akure.

Mr Adeleye said that the arrested suspects committed offences ranging from cultism, house breaking, motorcycle theft among others, while the command equally resolved five anti-grazing/farmers’ clashes

He said, “What I mean by resolved farmers and herders clashes is that the herders volunteered to pay for the cost of what they destroyed and equally paid the fine of the government for the infringement.

The uniqueness of today’s parade is that apart from very few cases, about two or three kidnapping cases were recorded at the borders.

That is the Akunu-Kogi-Ondo border, where we had two cases of kidnapping and the Ose border-Edo-Ondo border, where we had one case in the last two weeks. So, we could say that the 18 local governments are at peace. They are community-friendly and investment-friendly. Among those arrested is a 30 year-old man who engaged in malicious damage, cultism and attempted murder of law enforcement agents. We also have a 42-year-old man who attacked Amotekun officers in a bid to cover his nefarious activity. Then Samuel Peter, a 21-year-old man, who engaged in an attempted murder. There is one Akimade Friday, who outrightly murdered and killed a 65-year-old man. This is a 20-year-old boy.’’

Mr Adeleye, who attributed the corps’ success to unrelenting efforts of its personnel, said that he would continue to engage criminals, both within the town and in the forest.

The commander said Amotekun rangers were already on farms across the state, and assured farmers of security on their farms, especially in the government forest reserves.

“Tremendous success has been recorded by Amotekun rangers. At the last parade, we brought in about eight suspected kidnappers arrested on the scene in those forests by the rangers.

“The Amotekun rangers are domiciled in five of six locations in the forest now and they will remain there to maintain law and order throughout the festive period.

“We are ensuring that people can sleep peacefully in their houses, farmers can go to their farms and commuters can travel without fear, especially as the yuletide period approaches,” he said.

(NAN)