The Ekiti State Amotekun Corps has arrested three suspected kidnappers in the Igbara Odo area of the state following attacks on a woman on the Erinjiyan-Igbara Odo Road on Monday.
The suspects, according to the corps, are 25-year-old Abubakar Musa; Yussuf Lawal, 20; and Babangida Usman, 30.
The Amotekun Corps Commander, Brig. Gen. Joe Komolafe (retd.), said on Tuesday, “The suspected kidnappers attacked the woman on the farm with machetes and inflicted wounds on her head. They escaped in the view of other people into the bush. The woman has been taken to hospital, where she is receiving medical attention.”
Komolafe, who said the arrest of the suspects in the bush followed tip-off from residents of the area and a manhunt by operatives of Amotekun, said, “When interrogated, they could not state their mission in the area and could not provide information on where they stayed.
“We will hand them over to the police for further investigation and possible prosecution.”
Shedding light on how the suspects were arrested, Komolafe said, “This arrest was as a result of timely tip-off. A woman was attacked on her farm yesterday (Monday) and taken to hospital. But this morning, we directed the boys to go and search the bush and mount roadblocks to make sure that the attackers did not escape.
He added, “When the suspects learned that Amotekun operatives were on the road, they decided to escape through the bush, it was then that our men got a hint on the particular route they were passing through. So, the other Amotekun detachment went to lay an ambush for them and they were arrested.
“It is our appeal to residents to give timely information to security agencies so that we can swoop on them and arrest them. If you see strange faces, please report; you can be guaranteed of secrecy of information. Give us timely information, my men are ready to enter the bush and secure the state.”
Komolafe, who said failure to give timely information about suspects had been costly, stated, “For example, the unfortunate shooting of the Elewu of Ewu Ekiti, Oba Adetutu Ajayi, there was no way that people in that community would say they had not seen strange faces in that forest.
“The same thing is applicable in the case of the petrol station manager, which happened in Isan Ekiti. There’s no way some people in that area would say they did not see strange faces. Please give timely information about security issues.”
