Men of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun, have arrested four herdsmen who allegedly destroyed a 30 hectares of cassava farm in Igbaraoke Oke in Ifedore Local Government Area of the state, belonging to immediate past National Vice Chairman (Southwest) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dr. Eddy Olafeso.
The Commander of the Amotekun corps in the state, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, who disclosed to newsmen at the headquarters of the formation at Alagbaka, said the herdsmen fled to Ekiti state with their cows after destroying the farms were arrested by his men.
He said the owners of the cows visited the Amotekun office after the four men were arrested and has opened negotiations with the owner of the farm.
Adeleye said “We arrested some of those that engaged in the destruction of the farm of one of the principal officers of PDP that went viral. We caught them and we brought them to back. There are four of them that were involved.
“We have called the owners of the farmland, we had equally allowed the owner of the farm to meet with the owners of the cows that destroyed the farmland and I think they are talking.
“But regardless of what they do, they had contravened the anti-open grazing law, so they must fulfill the righteousness by going through the normal judicial system.
“The anti-open grazing law is in force in Ondo State where we discouraged the use of underaged for grazing, especially when they engage in destruction of farm products”
Adeleye said about 80 suspected criminals were arrested by officials of the Amotekun in the state for various crimes in the last three weeks, while 32 of them arraigned for prosecution after investigation into their cases were concluded.
According to him, a syndicate which specialized in snatching tricycle, popularly known as Keke Marwa, has been bursted, saying the syndicate after snatching the tricycle took it to Lagos State.
He however said his men tracked the tricycle to a location in Lagos state, where it was kept through the communication device procured by the state government.
A member of the syndicate, 18- year old, Akinyemi Abiodun, said the tricycle rider was tricked out of the town, while his three friends hired him but was overpowered and pushed out of the tricycle.
He said, “they only used me as a ploy to lure the Keke napep man and they snatched the tricycle from him. It was sold for N300,000 but I’ve not been given my share”
The Corps Commander said: “In the last three weeks, 80 criminals were arrested. In the last one week, about 32 were taken to court for prosecution. Investigations are going on in most of these ones.
“Some of them at the end of the day were found to be victims of circumstances, like those that came out without means of identification at odd hours and are found where they were not supposed to be. Those ones, upon proper interrogation, were released to go, some were released on bail.
“But what we have here is about 36 men and women engaged in various criminal activities ranging from murder, to anti-grazing. Stealing of motorcycles, grinding machine, stealing of Keke napep, stealing of various household equipment, including generator, and armed robbery.
“The signal we are sending is that Ondo State a place where you can’t thrive as a criminal, the criminals should better leave Ondo State, not only within the town, but within the forest. Some of these criminals were arrested right inside the forest.
“Criminal is criminal, regardless of where they come from, we don’t want to give colour to criminality, a criminal is a criminal.”