Amotekun rescues two abducted Fulani herders, recovers cattle in Ondo

By Boye Oyeyemi

Operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as the Amotekun Corps, have rescued two Fulani herders who were abducted by suspected kidnappers in a forest along the Ondo-Edo boundary.

The victims, identified as Abubakar Umaru and Adulahi Umaru, were reportedly tending cattle in the Owo area when armed men abducted them and forced them into a nearby forest.

The State Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, said the rescue operation began after the victims’ parents reported that the two herders had not returned home with their cattle.

According to Adeleye, operatives first recovered the missing cattle before launching an intensive search that led them into the Abuja Forest along the Ondo-Edo border.

He said the security team eventually located the kidnappers’ hideout and rescued the victims. The suspects, however, escaped after realizing they had been surrounded by Amotekun operatives.

Adeleye described the operation as one of the corps’ unique rescue missions, adding that intelligence provided by residents played a key role in the success of the operation.

He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to protecting all residents of the state regardless of their ethnic background, stressing that criminality would not be tolerated under any guise. “The Ondo State Security Network Agency does not discriminate. Whether a criminal is Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa or Fulani, we treat such a person as a criminal,” he said.

Speaking after regaining their freedom, the rescued herders said the kidnappers forcefully separated them from their cattle and marched them into the forest before Amotekun operatives arrived and secured their rescue.