Ondo Amotekun operatives arrest kidnappers parading as herders
Akogun Adeleye, Amotekun Ondo State
By Adetokunbo Abiola
Operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, have arrested a 56-year-old father and his three sons who disguise themselves as cattle rearers while operating as a syndicate of kidnappers in Oba-Akoko, Akoko South-West Local Government area of Ondo State.
The State Commander of the Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed this on Monday while parading 28 suspects arrested for various criminal offences at the agency’s headquarters in Akure.
Amotekun not only rescued the victim of the kidnappers, but also recovered more than 75 per cent of the paid ransom with respect to him, as well as drugs, alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and other items allegedly used by the suspects in the course of the operation.
The suspects, identified as Iliasu, 56, Usman, 33, Wahab, 27 and Yakubu,18 abducted the victim while travelling to Oba-Akoko and refused to release him after the ransom was paid to them, warning the family against reporting the incident to security agencies.
According to Adeleye, the family later approached Amotekun after the kidnappers reneged on the agreement, prompting the corps to launch a rescue operation.
The commander disclosed that Amotekun operatives overpowered the suspects in the course of the subsequent investigation, and rescued the victim, who had sustained multiple machete and knife injuries after being tortured by his abductors.
Adeleye further revealed that one of the suspects, believed to be the leader of the gang, had been on the corps’ watchlist since 2024 over his alleged involvement in a series of kidnapping incidents across the Ondo North Senatorial District.
Adeleye reiterated that the corps did not support the payment of ransom to kidnappers, adding that all the money recovered during the operation would be returned to the victim’s family.
He assured residents that Amotekun, working with other security agencies, would sustain its offensive against kidnappers and other criminal elements across the state.
“There is no hiding place for criminals in Ondo State, whether in the forests or in our communities. We remain committed to protecting lives and property,” the commander said.
Speaking on his ordeal, the rescued victim, Mr Oyebade Samuel, said the kidnappers emerged from the bush after his vehicle developed a mechanical fault along the Oba-Akoko Road, carrying guns, cutlasses and sticks, before beating him, inflicting severe injuries on him and dragging him into the forest.
Samuel said the kidnappers initially demanded ₦40 million from his family, before reducing the ransom to ₦1.6 million, but they still refused to set him free, even after his family members paid the ransom, as well as delivered the other items demanded from them.
