Security agencies in Ondo State have intensified efforts to dismantle violent criminal networks following the arrest of four suspected terrorists allegedly linked to kidnappings, armed robbery, and destruction of property across parts of the state. The suspects were apprehended during joint operations led by the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun, and have now been transferred to the Department of State Services for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Speaking during a briefing with journalists, Amotekun Commander, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said the latest operation was part of a broader security response to rising attacks recorded in several communities in recent months. According to him, intelligence reports and coordinated field operations helped security operatives identify and penetrate criminal hideouts believed to be responsible for repeated violence across the state.

Adeleye disclosed that investigators uncovered evidence suggesting the group operated through external coordination, with the alleged leader reportedly receiving directives from outside Ondo State. He said operatives disrupted the gang’s supply network during what he described as a fierce operation, leading to multiple arrests and the recovery of critical intelligence materials now being reviewed by security agencies.

The Amotekun commander further stated that the suspects allegedly confessed to involvement in a series of criminal activities connected to insecurity witnessed in Ondo over the last eight months. He explained that the decision to hand them over to the DSS was informed by the sensitive nature of the case and the need for a more extensive investigation into possible wider links beyond the state.

Authorities also say attention is now shifting from arrests alone to ensuring prosecution and long-term accountability. Adeleye revealed that no fewer than 142 suspects arrested recently for offences including kidnapping, cultism, anti-grazing violations, and clashes between farmers and herders have already been charged to court. Another 64 suspects, he said, are still undergoing profiling to determine the next line of action.

Security agencies maintain that joint operations involving Amotekun, the police, the army, the DSS, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps are continuing in forest areas bordering neighbouring states. Officials say the aim is to prevent armed groups from regrouping and to reassure residents that efforts to restore safety and strengthen intelligence-driven policing across Ondo State remain ongoing.