Soldiers and members of a joint security team, Operation Burst, have arrested some men armed with guns and other dangerous weapons in Igangan, Oyo State.
It was gathered that the suspected armed hoodlums, suspected to be Fulani, were arrested in the early hours of Sunday at Ofiki River along Tapa/Igangan road in the Ibarapa North Local Government Area of the state.
The armed Fulani, it was gathered, were allegedly invited for a reprisal by their kinsmen in the area following the raid carried out by the men of the Oyo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Operation Amotekun in the area on Saturday.
Recall that Amotekun operatives raided the hideouts of kidnappers in the area on Saturday, resulting in the death of three persons while one of its men was also injured.
The security outfit said the raid was carried out in collaboration with Miyetti Allah Vigilante, hunters, and others.
State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Olugbenga Fadeyi, promised to get back to our correspondent but had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
But Coordinator of Odua People’s Congress in Oyo State, Rotimi Olumo, confirmed the incident.
The OPC coordinator in Ibarapa Zone, Olanrewaju Ogedengbe, said the armed men were loaded in three buses.
He said, “47 of them were arrested at Ofiki River. They were caught with Dane guns and after their buses were searched; sophisticated guns, bows, and arrows, charms, catapults, and bullets were also found.
“I heard that security men have come to arrest the Seriki Fulani. He was arrested this morning. Those arrested said they were brought from Ilorin, Iseyin, and other places. They wore VGN uniforms (Vigilante Group of Nigeria).”
Recall that controversies have been trailing the Amotekun raid and while Amotekun Commandant, Col Olayinka Olayanju (retd.), said his men raided kidnappers’ hideouts, the son of Seriki Fulani, Umoru Salisu, said the claims were not correct.