The Ondo State Government has launched a security joint task force to tackle rising insecurity, days after bandits killed 19 people in Akure North Local Government Area.
State Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, announced the initiative on Sunday, March 23, in Akure.
He said Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa approved the task force, which includes the army, police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Amotekun operatives.
“We want to reassure the residents of this state that they can continue their normal farming activities as the government has established a joint task force to stabilise the very remote areas of Akure North, where these nefarious activities take place,” Adeleye stated.
He added that the government is working to open up roads in affected areas for quicker emergency response and will establish security posts to prevent future attacks.
Adeleye said, “We are all aware of the criminal activities that happened in the deep forest of Akure North Local Government Area of the state.
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“The government had drafted a joint patrol team comprising the army, the police, the NSCDC and Amotekun men, and we’ve been able to restore normalcy to the Ago Oyinbo, Ago Dada, Ago Ademekun, Ago Sunday and its environs.”
He noted that Amotekun has arrested 32 suspected kidnappers hiding in state forests.
“In recent times, we have had an upsurge of criminal activities, including kidnapping, in Ondo State,” Adeleye said.
“The officers and men of the Ondo State security network mobilised additional support from the neighbouring local governments and entered the forest reserves and areas noted for these nefarious activities. In the last week, we were able to arrest 32 suspects for kidnapping that are undergoing different stages of interrogation. We have a total of 58 men that we are parading today.”
He explained that the suspects were apprehended in Akure North, Akure South, Ose, and Akoko North-East local governments, where they were “smoked out” of forest reserves.
Following the recent killings in Akure North, security forces have been patrolling affected areas, and Adeleye assured that normalcy has been restored.