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A community leader in Afin Akoko, Akoko North-West Local Government of the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Kilani, said kidnapping and other forms of banditry in the area had drastically reduced as a result of the presence of more security agents in the area.
Kikani said, “We are seriously relieved. We now see men of Amotekun, the police and other security agencies in our area. The local hunters and villante groups are also helping them . We do have the area commander of the Ikare Area Command, leading the policemen and Amotekun people in the forest. This effort is yielding results, we now sleep and travel in rest of mind in our area here.
The monarch of Auga community in the Akoko North East Local Government Area of the state, Oba Samuel Agunloye, also confirmed the activities of security agents in the border town.
38 criminals arrested
Meanwhile, the Amotekun Corps in the state has arrested no fewer than 38 persons for their involvement in various criminal activities. The suspects were said to have been apprehended in various parts of the state.
Speaking with one of our correspondents on the development, the Commander of the corps, Adetunji Adeleye, said the arrests were part of the ‘Operation Gbale Gbako’ embarked on by Amotekun to rid the state of criminals.
Parading the suspects at the headquarters of the corps in Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital, on Friday, Adeleye said the arrests were as a result of the joint efforts of other security agencies as well as local hunters and the neighbouring states.
“We have collaborated with the other security agencies and the local hunters in Edo and Kogi states, and the collaboration has been successful. We paraded about 38 suspects today (Friday) on our ‘Operation Gbale Gbako’ and we will continue from now till January,” he added.
Rape victim confesses
Meanwhile, one of the suspects, identified simply as Precious, confessed to raping his brother’s wife and nine other women in the Olaosun Farm Settlement in the Ondo West Local Government Area of the state.
The 16-year-old suspect, who was arrested by the men of the corps for stealing 25 litres of palm oil, said his brother travelled when he committed the act.
Precious confessed that he walked into the room where his brother’s wife was sleeping naked and he laid on her to rape her. He also said he had raped nine other girls at the Laosun community.
He said, “I came to the house and saw my brother’s wife sleeping naked. I went into the room and slept on top of her.
“In Laosun, I raped nine girls. Some of them are 19 and some 25 years. In the night, I would go into their rooms and start sleeping with them. I did not use a gun or knives to threaten them. Sometimes, I would be caught and they would beat me.
“I have been arrested before. I was arrested for stealing 25 litres of palm oil. I did that in order to save money to buy a phone.”
The Amotekun boss stated that the suspects would soon be charged to court.
Osun security arrangement
In Osun State, the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Funke Egbemode, said the government would scale up its strategies to prevent violent crimes across its territory.
She said, “The Osun State Government has a responsibility to the people. The governor has a mandate and we will deliver on it until the last day of this administration. We will continue to do what needs to be done. We will request help when we need to; we will scale up our interventions at all levels to continue keeping our people safe.”
The spokesperson for the state police command, Yemisi Opalola, said that the Commissioner of Police, Sunday Faleye, had posted more men to border communities to ensure adequate protection, especially on highways during the Yuletide.
She noted that the command was collaborating with neighbouring commands to prevent crime.
Opalola added that the command would continue to sensitise the people to the need to be more careful.
Also, the Field Commander of the Amotekun Corps in the state, Amitolu Shittu, said he could not give details of the state’s security strategies but noted that certain routes and the Osogbo/Iwo/Oyo boundary, Osun/Kwara boundary as well as Osun/Kwara/Ekiti boundary in Oke-Ila were receiving special attention.
Shittu, who declared the state as unsafe for criminals, said all identified volatile spots would continue to be manned by Amotekun officers and men to prevent violent crimes.
He said, “Two teams are working along the Osogbo/Iwo road. If you go there, you will find them there. On the Osogbo/Gbongan/Ibadan road, we have two teams there too. I personally monitor them.
“Along the Osogbo/Ikirun/Kwara boundary, we have two teams there. Also, around the Oke Ila/Kwara boundary, we also have our men there. Besides the Osun/Ondo joint patrol, we have an understanding with Amotekun in Oyo command, who are helping us to keep an eye on Papa near Iwo. We are monitoring from Iwo to Papa also.
“Amotekun men from Oyo are the ones monitoring from Ibadan to the Papa area. We are trying not to talk about our strategies in detail. These are the little things we want our people to know for them to have the confidence to travel.”
Abiodun summons meeting
In Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun, on Thursday summoned a meeting of the heads of security agencies in the state, including the army, the police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. He said the meeting became necessary in the light of the recent attacks on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
A video cited by one of our correspondents showed the governor saying, “I am further compelled to have this meeting today. I spoke to three or four of you last night against the background of the sudden seeming upsurge in the spate of untoward activities on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by these unscrupulous elements.
“I’m aware that you had planned for some joint operations today in that corridor and other parts of the state. I insisted that I must meet with you today because it is important that we are on top of this situation and it’s more important that we are seen to be on top of the situation. We must use everything to ensure that we send a very strong warning and signal to all those involved.”
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PUNCH NEWSPAPER.