Saturday, May 9, 2026 - Operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency have arrested four suspected terrorists allegedly connected to a series of violent crimes across Ondo State over the past eight months.
The State Commander of the corps, Adetunji Adeleye,
disclosed the arrests while briefing journalists in Akure, noting that the
operation was intelligence-led and carried out in collaboration with other
security agencies.
According to him, the suspects were part of a gang allegedly
involved in armed robbery, kidnapping, and destruction of property in different
parts of the state.
Adeleye said the group’s leader, who was reportedly
receiving instructions from outside the state, was captured during what he
described as a coordinated and intensive operation.
He added that the gang’s logistics and supply chain had also
been dismantled, with additional members of the syndicate picked up during the
crackdown.
Because of the sensitivity of the case, he said the suspects
had been handed over to the Department of State Services, DSS, for further
interrogation and possible prosecution.
Adeleye confirmed that the four suspects had confessed to
involvement in several criminal activities linked to insecurity experienced in
Ondo State in recent months.
“They confessed to having commenced the operation, and the
result of their operation is the instability that the state witnessed in the
last eight months,” he said.
He, however, declined to provide further operational
details, citing ongoing investigations by the DSS.
The commander said the arrests form part of sustained
efforts to restore peace and dismantle criminal hideouts in forest areas across
the state.
He noted that Ondo State’s extensive forest belts, which
span six local government areas and border three neighbouring states, have
continued to pose significant security challenges.
Adeleye explained that a joint security operation involving
the police, military, DSS, Amotekun, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence
Corps, NSCDC, have intensified clearance operations aimed at flushing out
criminal elements from forested areas.
He also revealed a shift in strategy from mere arrests to
prosecution, stating that within the last month, case files involving about 142
suspects had been completed and forwarded to competent courts.
According to him, the suspects are facing charges including
kidnapping, anti-grazing offences, communal clashes between farmers and
herders, and cult-related crimes.
He added that 64 additional suspects are currently
undergoing profiling and will either be prosecuted or subjected to alternative
dispute resolution mechanisms, depending on the outcome of investigations.
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