… Recovers stolen cattle

 

A kidnapping operation in Ondo State has ended in tragedy with the death of a female farmer, even as the Ondo State Security Network Agency, otherwise known as Amotekun Corps, rescued five other victims in separate operations across the state.

The deceased, one of two farmers abducted at Parubber community in Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government Area, died in the forest despite a 72-hour rescue operation by security operatives.

The victims were working on their farms along Ondo-Ife Road when gunmen whisked them into a forest and demanded a N100 million ransom from their families.

State Commander of Amotekun, Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists on the agency’s recent operations at the corps headquarters in Akure, the state capital.

Adeleye said Amotekun deployed nine members of its special squad after receiving a distress call and contacted sister security agencies, particularly the Department of State Services (DSS), to commence a joint tracking operation.

“We successfully secured the release of the two of them that were kidnapped in Okeigbo. Not without a lot of trouble because the kidnappers equally deceived us on the geo-location with the beach.

“The operation lasted for about 72 hours, during which the kidnappers allegedly frustrated the rescue effort by sending security operatives false geo-location signals before the victims were eventually traced to a reserve forest several kilometers away from the scene of the abduction.”

However, the commander said the operation ended tragically after the female victim was found unconscious and could not be revived, while the male victim was rescued alive.

Adeleye also disclosed that two boys abducted in Owo Axis were rescued without payment of ransom, while one of the suspects linked to their abduction had been traced to Oyo State, and efforts were ongoing to apprehend him.

He added that two other men abducted around the Ala-Dada axis were rescued after they succeeded in sending a distress call, prompting Amotekun Rangers to respond within minutes and secure their release from the forest.

The commander also revealed the arrest of suspected cattle rustlers operating around Ore, Ode-Aye, Ofosu and Omotosho in Odigbo Local Government Area.

“We have those that bought these cows from him. He has ready markets across the state where he sends the cows to for sale at very ridiculous prices,” he said.

Adeleye said Amotekun had adopted non-kinetic measures alongside intelligence-driven bush combing to counter the changing tactics of kidnappers, stressing that the operations demonstrated that criminals could not find safe havens in the state.