Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Operatives of the Oyo State Security Network, codenamed Amotekun Corps, has recovered AK-47 rifles, military camouflage and other items hidden in a forest in the state by suspected kidnappers.
Commandant of Amotekun Corps in Oyo State, Col. Olayinka Olayanju (retd), disclosed this while speaking to newsmen in Ibadan, on Monday.
He said the corps recovered four AK-47 rifles, four magazines and 50 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition.
Also recovered were wraps of Indian hemp, raincoats, two Nigerian Army caps and a beret.
The items, according to Olayanju, were recovered while operatives of the corps were combing forests following rising cases of kidnap along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
“Last weekend, efforts of our men were rewarded when the arms and ammunition were found in one of the forests following a tip-off that some gunmen sighted in the area.
“The security network’s agents are still present in the forest to possibly apprehend the criminal elements,’’ he said.
Speaking, Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Security Matters, CP Fatai Owoseni (retd), said the governor had directed security personnel to take proactive steps to stop abductions in the state.
Owoseni said collaboration with local hunters and vigilantes assisted greatly in recent successes recorded by the Amotekun Corps in the state.
He assured that the state government would provide the equipment needed for the smooth operation of the corps to enhance their performance.