Uyai-Abasi Etido
The controversies surrounding insecurity has taken a new dimension in Ondo State as security outfit codenamed, Amotekun revealed that 9,000 herds men have sneaked into the State within one month.
According to the Commander of the security outfit, Adetunji Adeleye, who confirmed the incident, the herds men found their way into the State through the border towns , noting that 31 suspected criminals have been paraded in Akure.
In his words, “The reality is that in the last month, we have had an unusual influx of herdsmen into the state. We have to drive them back to where they came from.
“As of yesterday, we confronted over 9000 herders who moved into the state.
“They moved them in the midnight and they masquerade as different forms of criminals.
“The herders always came into Ondo through the border communities in Edo, Kogi and now Ekiti states with large numbers of cattle and they end up perpetrating crimes.
“We were able to notice that the herders will always come to Ondo through trucks with loads and would refuse security patrol to search them.
“So, the trend has been on for a long time, especially in the last month but we’re now working on different modalities of ensuring that legitimate herders are allowed into the state.
“Those who are criminals and are not supposed to be in the state are driven out of our forest.
“Also, we are making efforts towards the border towns of the state because we noticed that t they find their way now into Ondo through Ekiti State.” Adeleye said.
Speaking on the 31 suspects paraded, the Commander said they were apprehended for crimes ranging from kidnapping, rape, burglary, rituals, stealing, arson and illegal possession of firearms among several others.
