To secure the release of six kidnapped schoolchildren, three teachers and their driver, Ondo State security outfit, codenamed, Amotekun, has deployed 100 of its personnel to Ekiti State.
Ondo Amotekun Commander, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, who said this while parading 31 suspected criminals arrested in the state, disclosed that Amotekun was acting on the orders of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
The deployment came as Ekiti Council of Traditional Rulers urged Governor Biodun Oyebanji to empower them to secure their domains, a clamour the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, endorsed, arguing that community policing was the surest way out of the insecurity menace.
Also, Emure-Ekiti, the community where the six school pupils, three teachers and a driver were kidnapped on Monday evening, is not leaving anything to chance in efforts to rescue the victims, as elders in the community yesterday, launched a search party for the victims.
Adeleye said: “Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has ordered that we deploy Amotekun personnel to work with their counterparts in Ekiti to secure the release of the pupils and arrest killers of the monarchs.
“Some days ago, we had an unfortunate incident in Ekiti and the governor of Ondo State directed us to move in the interest of brotherliness to assist in the security situation in Ekiti State. We deployed 100 personnel to assist the Ekiti command.
“We’ve been there in the last 48 hours. Some arrests have been made and we will continue until the perpetrators of these dastardly acts are arrested.
“I want to assure the good people of Ondo State that there is no problem. The state is safe. But, they must report any suspicious movement in their environment to us in time, so that we can be proactive and ensure that before it gets out of hand, this is nipped in the bud.
“We have a sudden upsurge of visitors coming in from different parts of the country, in the name of hunting. The state government had made it clear that anybody that will carry out any activity in the forest reserves must take permission,” he added.
Adeleye, who is also the chairman of Amotekun commanders in the South-West said the solution to insecurity in the country especially in the South-West is the establishment of state police.
“With state policing, we will be able to go to the grassroots, and it will be easy for us to track down all these criminals in our society. We should not forget that Amotekun is both a conventional and unconventional security outfit. On the issue of weapons, once state policing is approved, there will be no limitation to the equipment they can use in combating crimes,” he said.
