At least, 13 persons have been arrested for allegedly parading themselves as officers of the yet-to-be formed Amotekun Corps in Ogun State.
DAILY POST reports that the suspects were arrested while mounting a checkpoint for themselves at Lafenwa area of Ota, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state.
Dressed in reflective jackets with Amotekun inscriptions, the suspects were said to have extorted money from unsuspecting general public, especially those violating the COVID-19 lockdown order.
Our correspondent reports that they were arrested by the So-Safe Corps, an Ogun State Government security outfit.
The Director of Information and Public Relations, ACC Moruf Yusuf, in a statement on Tuesday, said the fake Amotekun Corps officers have been parading the Ota axis with two vehicles and three motorbikes.
They were said to have claimed that they had the solid backing of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN); the body seeing to the inauguration of the Amotekun Corps.
The statement reads inter alia: “So-Safe Corps, an Ogun State owned security agency has recorded another great achievement as officers and men of the corps deployed to enforce the COVID-19 Stay-at-home directives of the Federal/ State Governments in Ado–Odo Ota Division at about 16:16hrs, noticed a strange set of criminally-minded ones who disguised as a lawful security outfit.
“The culprits who were thirteen (13) in number were apprehended, claiming to be officers of Amotekun, Ogun State Command.
“During preliminary investigation, the suspected fake officers claimed that their operation had a solid backing of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission.
“The suspects who were kitted with reflective jackets with Amotekun inscription with two(2) vehicles and three(3) motorbikes were caught at the spot they mounted a checkpoint and were extorting the public at Lafenwa, Itele Ota, located at Ado Odo Ota Local Government.
“The suspects have been transferred to the Nigeria Police, Itele Division for further investigation and likely prosecution.”
DAILY POST reports that Amotekun, otherwise known as Western Nigeria Security Network, was set up by governors of Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos States to put an end to armed robbery, kidnapping, banditry and other forms of insecurity in the South West.
DAILY POST