Men of the Ondo State Police
Command have arrested 150 middle-aged men suspected to be members of the
dreaded Boko Haram sect.
The suspects, who were in
possession of arms and ammunition, were being conveyed in a truck with
registration number Kano NSR 97 XZ before they were intercepted by the
policemen at Lipakala Junction in Ondo town.
The truck was heading towards
Ore, in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state .
The suspects were initially
detained at the Fagun Police Division before they were transferred to the
headquarters of the command in Akure, the state capital.
Some of the items found inside
the vehicle of the suspects included locally-made guns, knives, cutlasses and
several torch lights .
One of the suspects, who
identified himself as Abdulahi Sheriff, claimed that they were not Boko Haram
members but farmers coming from Benin-Kebbi to seek greener pasture in Ore
town.
He added that their relocation
from the North was due to the harsh and dry season in their area which had
negatively affected their activities as farmers.
The police spokesperson in the
state, Mr. Femi Joseph, who confirmed the arrest, told our correspondent that
the suspects claimed they were not terrorists but farmers who were travelling
from Kebbi State to work in Ondo State.
Joseph said, “We discovered in
our findings that the men are not Boko Haram members. Some of them engage in
trading while some of them were going to Ore to do menial jobs. There is
nothing that indicated that they are members of Boko Haram.”
On the issue of arms found in
their vehicle, the Police Public Relations Officer explained that some of the
suspects who were hunters were the owners of the guns and other weapons.
The police spokesperson, however,
said the suspects would not be released until the command completed
investigation into the matter.
He said, “We have to be
completely sure that they are not members of the Boko Haram sect before we can
allow them to go.”
Copyright PUNCH.
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