The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, has rescued a kidnapped victim and arrested a father alongside his three sons over their alleged involvement in the crime in Oba Akoko, Akoko South-West Local Government Area of the state.
The Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed this on Tuesday while parading 43 suspects in Akure. He said 28 of those arrested were linked to kidnapping, while the remaining 15 were involved in other criminal activities.
According to Adeleye, the four suspects identified as Iliasu, 56, Usman, 33, Wahab, 27, and Yakubu, 18, were arrested after intelligence gathered during an investigation into the victim's abduction.
He said operatives also recovered cigarettes, alcoholic drinks, drugs and materials believed to have been used to blindfold the victim.
Adeleye explained that the victim's family initially negotiated and paid ransom to the kidnappers without informing security agencies.
Despite receiving the money, the kidnappers refused to free the victim and warned the family against reporting the incident to the authorities.
The family later approached Amotekun for help, prompting the security outfit to launch an operation that led to the rescue.
"Our operatives moved into action immediately after the report. During the operation, the suspects attacked our officers, but we were able to overpower them and rescue the victim," Adeleye said.
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He added that the victim had suffered machete and knife injuries during captivity and was rushed to hospital for treatment after being rescued.
Adeleye said investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly used cattle rearing as a cover for their activities.
The commander also disclosed that more than 75 per cent of the ransom paid by the victim's family was recovered during the operation.
He reiterated that Amotekun does not support the payment of ransom to kidnappers, adding that the recovered money had been returned to the victim's family.
"The money belongs to the family, so we handed it back to them. We only brought it here for display as part of the exhibits recovered during the operation," he said.
