The Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun Corps, has arrested several individuals allegedly disguising themselves as mentally unstable persons while secretly working for kidnapping and criminal gangs across the state.
The shocking discovery was made during a series of coordinated security operations carried out by the agency in different parts of Ondo State. According to the Commander of the Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, the suspects were among 98 individuals apprehended over alleged involvement in kidnapping, robbery, drug trafficking, and other criminal activities threatening public safety.
Adeleye explained that security operatives uncovered a disturbing pattern in which some criminals deliberately posed as homeless or mentally ill individuals in order to avoid suspicion while gathering intelligence for kidnappers and carrying out illicit operations. He revealed that the suspects often monitored communities, tracked movements of residents, and relayed information to criminal gangs hiding in forests and remote locations. ..READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE .
According to the Amotekun commander, intelligence officers and undercover operatives closely monitored the activities of the suspects for weeks before moving in for their arrest. Investigators reportedly discovered that some of the fake lunatics had designated locations where they charged mobile phones, changed clothes, and coordinated operations with criminal networks.
The security agency further disclosed that 10 suspects were apprehended directly at kidnapping scenes while allegedly attempting to abduct victims. Authorities also confirmed that several of those arrested are currently facing prosecution, while others remain under investigation ahead of court proceedings.
In a related development, Adeleye narrated how Amotekun operatives recently rescued a kidnapped couple in Iluabo community without any ransom payment. He stated that the agency swiftly mobilized a rapid response team into nearby forests immediately after receiving distress alerts, leading to the successful rescue of the victims.
The commander warned residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious individuals or movements within their communities, stressing that criminal elements are increasingly adopting deceptive tactics to evade security agencies. He also linked the rise in kidnapping activities within the region to the movement of criminal groups fleeing intensified military operations in other parts of the country.
The latest arrests have sparked reactions among residents and social media users, many expressing concern over the evolving methods allegedly being used by criminal syndicates to infiltrate communities unnoticed. Authorities, however, insist that intensified surveillance and intelligence-driven operations will continue across Ondo State to curb kidnapping and violent crimes.
