Celebrations As Amotekun Rescue 28 Ghanians From Kidnappers

Operatives of the Ondo State Security Network, also known as Amotekun Corps, have successfully rescued 28 Ghanaians who were kidnapped and held hostage in Akure, the Ondo State capital. The victims were lured to Akure by a 28-man syndicate with false promises of procuring US visas for them after paying between $1,500 and $2,000.

ADVERTISEMENT

• play
• pause
• stop
• mute
• unmute
• max volume

Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.

DEY PLAYRichard JFREE DOWNLOAD

0:00

Upon arrival, the syndicate kidnapped and held the Ghanaians hostage until they could lure another victim. The Amotekun Corps also recovered N210,000 from kidnappers who abducted a family of four and demanded a ransom of N10 million.

Commander of Ondo Amotekun, Adetunji Adeleye, paraded 61 suspects arrested for various crimes, including kidnapping, cultism, vandalism, and anti-open grazing. Adeleye attributed the success of the operation to the recently launched Operation Daadaa by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, which conducted coordinated operations in forests across the state.

According to the Amotekun boss:

“My advice to young men, please ensure you deal with credible people in your quest to seek for greener pastures abroad. These 28 suspected kidnappers have defrauded thousands of people, and it’s an international syndicate being coordinated by a Ghanaian resident in Akure, though at large.

“The syndicate operates by calling unsuspecting individuals in foreign countries, offering assistance with U.S. or Canadian visa processing for a fee of $1,500 – $5,000. They also promise jobs, claiming that the only route is through Nigeria. Upon arrival in Lagos, agents pick them up, bring them to Akure, and then seize their money.

They are held hostage until they recruit another victim. “We’re sure that the long hand of justice will catch up with him. There are so many profitable ventures that you can engage on as a young man in Nigeria. I want to encourage you that now that the Ayedatiwa-led government is resolute in guaranteeing security of lives and property in the state, you can equally join the wagon in the agricultural sector.

“And a note of warning to those that are occupying the forest illegally. The position of the government is for you to be in the forest reserves of Ondo State, you must seek and obtain government permission. We have met with the leadership of the Miyetti Allah and various groups, and we’ve made the position of government known.

“The era of bringing two, three hundred men behind few bags of rice under the guise of coming to hunt, or coming to offload 10 bags of rice, hiding behind the rice is gone in Ondo State.

Security agencies at the borders had been alerted to send such trucks back once we find more than 10 people who do not have a destination back to where they are coming from.

“Equally, the government of Ondo State has placed a ban on the use of Okada after 8 p.m. with effect from today. So many nefarious activities are been perpetrated by these unknown Okada riders who had found their way from different parts of the country to kidnap, rob, rape, and main unsuspecting members of the public.

“In the same vein, the era of the use of unlicensed vehicles plying the road has ended. This is because majority of these evil perpetrators goes around with fake dealer numbers, fake number plates, and majority of them with unlicensed vehicles. You have one week effective from today to regularize your vehicle particulars.”