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From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
The Ondo State Command of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday paraded a nursing mother and six other persons who are alleged to specialise in the kidnapping toddlers in the state.
DSS State Director Mr Jonathan Kure, who paraded the suspects at the DSS headquarters in Akure, said the gang had been terrorising the state by kidnapping toddlers between the ages of two and four years.
Kure said that following the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari and the support of the Director-General of the DSS with the support of Ondo State Vovernment, his Command lauched a crackdown of the gang and arrested the suspects, consisting of young men and a nursing mother.
He noted that the nursing mother was a member of the kidnap syndicate who also helped keep weapons for the syndicate and was a wife to one of the suspected kidnappers.
The director confirmed that from intelligence report the suspects were the only syndicate that specialise in kidnapping of toddlers int the state.
Kure said the Command would continue with its investigations, adding that the suspects would soon be charged to court.
The director noted that the operation was carried out in synergy with the men of the Nigerian Army and appreciated the collaboration amongst the security agencies in the state.
‘They have tormented so many families, especially within Akure,’ he said of the suspects. ‘Following the directive of President Buhari and support of our DG, we were able to launch a crackdown.’
Some of the items recovered from the suspects included laptops, cash and locally made guns.
The Acting Governor of Ondo State, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who spoke at the DSS office, assured indigenes and residents of the state of adequate security of their lives and property.
Aiyedatiwa urged landlords to always do proper profiling of their tenants and know the kind of work they do.
‘Security is everybody’s business, if you notice anyone that is living above his means, let security check the person out,’ he said.
