The Ondo State Security Network codenamed ‘Amotekun Corps’ have arrested four suspects for the burning of one of its operational vehicle and motorcycles.
It said the suspects were also believed to be linked to the killing of a farmer and a member of the vigilante group in Ago Sanusi along Ute Road in Owo. Commander of Ondo Amotekun Corps, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, who spoke at a press briefing in Akure said the suspects arrested inside Owo forest, were not herdsmen.
Adetunji noted that the armed herders who were sighted in the forest took to their heels upon sighting his men.
The Amotekun boss also denied reports that some of his men were killed during the operation in the Owo forest reserve.
According to him, “We didn’t arrest any herder in Owo. The people arrested were people we suspected were connected to the arson, but we’ll look at it as murder and arson as well as wanton destruction of property. We arrest four within the first one hour of the incident there.
“In one of the operations that we’re involved in, it’s alleged that so many members of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps were killed. I want to say that not a single soul out of the ones I recruited died at any point in time. And specifically on the Owo Ute incident, no single member of the corps or officer died during this particular operation.
“There was actually no cross fire between the herdsmen and Amotekun Corps. Were invited into a crime zone. There was a distress call that made our men to move into the forest reserve. On getting there, we parked our vehicle at a nearby village and had to trek into the forest to areas where there were troubles. By the time we got there, we found out that a farmer and a vigilante member had been killed. We also found out that there were lots of destructions of farmlands around the place.”
The Nation