Operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency have arrested four suspected terrorists allegedly connected to a series of violent crimes across Ondo State over the past eight months.

The State Commander of the corps, Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed the arrests while briefing journalists in Akure, noting that the operation was intelligence-led and carried out in collaboration with other security agencies.

According to him, the suspects were part of a gang allegedly involved in armed robbery, kidnapping, and destruction of property in different parts of the state.

Adeleye said the group’s leader, who was reportedly receiving instructions from outside the state, was captured during what he described as a coordinated and intensive operation.

He added that the gang’s logistics and supply chain had also been dismantled, with additional members of the syndicate picked up during the crackdown.

Because of the sensitivity of the case, he said the suspects had been handed over to the Department of State Services, DSS, for further interrogation and possible prosecution.

Adeleye confirmed that the four suspects had confessed to involvement in several criminal activities linked to insecurity experienced in Ondo State in recent months.

“They confessed to having commenced the operation, and the result of their operation is the instability that the state witnessed in the last eight months,” he said.

He, however, declined to provide further operational details, citing ongoing investigations by the DSS.

The commander said the arrests form part of sustained efforts to restore peace and dismantle criminal hideouts in forest areas across the state.

He noted that Ondo State’s extensive forest belts, which span six local government areas and border three neighbouring states, have continued to pose significant security challenges.

Adeleye explained that a joint security operation involving the police, military, DSS, Amotekun, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, have intensified clearance operations aimed at flushing out criminal elements from forested areas.

He also revealed a shift in strategy from mere arrests to prosecution, stating that within the last month, case files involving about 142 suspects had been completed and forwarded to competent courts.

According to him, the suspects are facing charges including kidnapping, anti-grazing offences, communal clashes between farmers and herders, and cult-related crimes.

He added that 64 additional suspects are currently undergoing profiling and will either be prosecuted or subjected to alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, depending on the outcome of investigations.

A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Saturday urged the Nigerian government to adequately compensate activist Abubakar Idris Dadiyata and his family if he is still alive.

Kwankwaso was reacting to a report that Dadiyata was killed by some police officers in Kaduna State.

Musa Muhammad Kamarawa, a former Senior Special Assistant, SSA, to former Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, had claimed that Dadiyata was killed in his presence.

A screengrab containing Kamarawa’s claim, written in Hausa, is currently circulating on various social media platforms.

Kamarawa had also on Thursday written a petition addressed to the Inspector General of Police against some police officers who he said were involved in Dadiyata’s killing.

Dadiyata, a Nigerian lecturer and outspoken government critic, was abducted by gunmen from his home in Kaduna on August 1, 2019, and remains missing.

His disappearance was heavily linked to his critical social media commentary, particularly regarding Northern state governments.

Reacting, Kwankwaso commended the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Tunji Disu for ordering a probe of Dadiyata’s disappearance.

Posting on X, he wrote: “I have been made aware of the recent testimony by a former aide to a former state governor, in which he alleged that police officers claimed responsibility for the disappearance of Abubakar Idris Dadiyata in Kaduna.

“Since his abduction in 2019, my associates and I have consistently prayed and advocated for the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and bring those responsible for his disappearance to justice.

“It is therefore reassuring that the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has ordered a comprehensive investigation into this matter. I commend the Inspector General for this decisive and long-overdue action.

“While we await the outcome of the investigation, I urge the police authorities to place the named individuals under close surveillance to prevent any interference with the process. I also call on the government to ensure that, upon conclusion of the case, Abubakar Dadiyata (if still alive) and his family receive adequate compensation for the immense trauma and suffering they have endured.

“I equally commend the general public for their sustained advocacy and resilience in keeping this case alive, as well as Barrister Abba Hikima Fagge for his pivotal role in this latest development.

“We remain hopeful that this investigation will finally deliver truth and justice.”