Two young Fulani herders who were kidnapped in a forest along the Ondo and Edo state boundary have been rescued by the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps.
The rescue, announced on Tuesday, happened after residents gave information that helped operatives find the kidnappers’ hideout, leading to the safe recovery of the boys and their cattle.
The victims, Abubakar Umaru and Abdullahi Umaru, were tending cattle in the Owo area when suspected kidnappers seized them and took them into the forest. Their parents alerted Amotekun after the boys failed to return home with the herd.
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The rescue is another operation carried out by the state security outfit in a part of Ondo that has witnessed repeated kidnapping cases because of its thick forests and its border with neighbouring Edo State.
As maintained by the corps, this case stood out because the victims were young Fulani herders, prompting the agency to publicly explain how the operation happened.
From missing cattle to a forest rescue
Ondo Amotekun Commander Adetunji Adeleye said the search started with an attempt to find the missing cattle after the parents reported that the boys had not returned.
He explained that the operatives first recovered all the cows before turning their attention to the children.
“The briefing today is unique, in the sense that out of the hundreds of rescued victims, we singled out this particular situation where two Fulani boys were kidnapped and their cattle rescued in Owo Local Government. We moved into action because they reported that the children who went out did not come back on time.”
Adeleye said the search soon showed that the boys had been kidnapped.
“First, we were able to retrieve all the cows. Then, we went after, looking for the children, the two boys who went out with the cows.
When it became apparent that the boys had been kidnapped, we went deep into the forest, linking Ondo to Edo into an area called Abuja Forest between Ondo and Edo in our local government,” he said.
As he claimed, the search team tracked the kidnappers to their hideout inside the forest.
The commander said the abductors escaped after they realised security operatives had surrounded the area, allowing the two boys to be rescued safely.
He gave credit to people living around the area for passing useful information to the security team at the right time. He said that information made it easier for the operatives to locate the kidnappers inside the forest.
Adeleye also used the rescue to repeat the agency’s position that it protects every resident without considering tribe or ethnic background.
“The Ondo State Security Network Agency does not discriminate. A criminal from Yoruba, from Igbo, from Hausa, or from Fulani is a criminal. We treat them as such.”
His statement came as the agency explained why it decided to publicly present this rescue out of what he described as hundreds of successful rescue operations carried out by the corps.
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