By Ayodele Oni
Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed “Amotekun Corps” in collaboration with other security agencies has confirmed the arrest of some suspected perpetrators of Owo Catholic church Massacre.
The regional security outfit explained that some weapons and the vehicle used for the operation were also recovered.
Adetunji Adeleye, the Commander of the Ondo State Amotekun Corp, confirmed the arrest of some of the suspects in connection with the incident.
Adeleye, who disclosed this in Akure on Thursday, while parading 71 suspects for various crimes ranging from kidnapping, Robbery, Cultism.. did not give details.
The police had earlier announced that the car used by the gunmen was snatched from the owner and later abandoned somewhere along Owo/Ute road when the suspects were trying to escape.
Few days ago, News had gone viral on the arrest of the suspects by a military patrol team but was later debunked by the state police command.
The June 5, 2022 attack on St Francis Catholic Church, Owo claimed 40 lives.
“A number of people have been arrested concerning the owo attack and I am telling you for free that the last vehicle they used before they jumped into the bush has been recovered.
“We pursued them to that point and we are still pursuing them, we will get to the root of it.
“The suspects being paraded were arrested within the last one month for crimes ranging from armed robbery, cattle rustling, kidnapping, fraud.
“This 71 suspects were picked while committing offences and others were tracked to their hideouts in the forest.
“We have been able to break a cartel that specializes in stealing and dismantling motorbikes (Okada). We have over 30 motorbikes recovered during a one-day operation.
“We also got report from some herdsmen that their cattles were stolen and rustled and we went after them we recovered them and returned them to the owners.
“We have a group of small boys under 18 years that formed themselves into a cartel of criminals in a particular local government area of the State and armed themselves.
“They actually belong to a cult group called “Agbado”, 12 of them were arrested.
“We also have four kidnappers and we intend to take most of this suspects, especially, all the ones we’ve concluded investigation on to the Department of Public Prosecution for onwards prosection.
“We want to reassure the good people of Ondo State that we will not rest until we get to the bottom of the matter and riding the state of criminal elements.
“We are intensifying efforts to get to the root of the mischievous act of these criminal elements. So, to the people in the northern Senatorial district, especially the border towns in Akoko, we will continue with the operation clean- up in the forest there until the last of these criminals are driven out of these forests.”
