THE Ondo State Security Agency Network, codenamed Amotekun Corps, yesterday, disclosed that it had arrested 15 suspected gold miners, for mining gold illegally from different locations in Owo council area of the state.
This came as the Amotekun Commander in Oyo State, Col. Olayinka Olayanju (retd), declared that Ibarapaland is safe and free of killer herdsmen and kidnappers.
The suspects were arrested from no fewer than 50 locations in Owo community, after about four hours in the forest.
Those arrested include Shuaibu Yahaya, Habbi Usman, Kabiru Waheed, Mohammed Nurudeen, Mohammed Sulaman, Ali Mustapha, Ismaila Wahab, Musa Zeehed, Gabbar Musa, Sule Adamu Abba Suleman, Usman Kebiru, Yahaya Danladi and Usman Ali Zekeri.
The suspects, according to findings, were apprehended by the Amotekun personnel in collaboration with local hunters in the community following an intelligence report.
Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Chief Adetunji Adeleye said that the arrest was part of the crackdown to end criminality in the State.
Adeleye said: “The arrest took place at a Forest reserve in Owo, it was in the course of the exercise we discovered the illegal mining locations.
“We noticed that they have gone far in 50 different locations where they were mining.
“Nobody would have believed that Ondo State has this quality of gold until we got to the locations where the gold robbers were living and performing illegal mining.
“Beyond the arrest, the culprits will be prosecuted.”
In an interview, one of the suspects, Kabiru Shuaib from Kebbi State, said he was invited to the state by his friend Yunisa.
Vanguard
