By Dayo Johnson, Akure

Amidst herders/farmers’ recent clashes across Ondo State, Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has directed the state security outfit, codenamed, Amotekun, to establish forest rangers to end killings, abductions and other crimes in communities.

Recall that many farmers have been abducted, and murdered in some communities in the state in the last month.

Consequently, farmers have abandoned their farmlands while women in some affected communities have protested half-naked to show their displeasure over the resurgence of crimes.

Also monarchs in some of the affected communities have sent Save Our Soul messages to the state government to halt the ugly development.

Addressing newsmen in Akure, the state capital, the commander of Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said that the governor, has ordered the setting up of Amotekun rangers, to put an end to incessant killings of farmers by suspected herdsmen as well as prevent kidnapping at border towns and roads in the state.

Adeleye said that ” the establishment of the specialised unit within the Amotekun Corps called “Amot Rangers” will rid the coastal state of criminal elements.

According to him ” these rangers will operate from six newly established control points within the state’s forests which will cover areas along the borders with Edo, Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti states and will live and stay in the forests to control the excesses of miscreants causing trouble in the State.

“We are carrying out the directives of Mr. Governor pursuant to the Ondo State Livestock and Grazing Regulations and Establishment of Ranch Law 2021, as amended, which mandates the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps to oversee and enforce peaceful relationship between the farmers and headers and inhabitants of the forests.

” In view of Mr. Governor’s directives, we are establishing immediately six major control points for a special unit of the Amotekun corps that is coded ‘Amot Rangers’.

“These six control points cut across the troubled borders around Edo, Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti states. In the last 72 hours, men of the Ondo State Security Network had combed every nook and cranny of the four local governments in Akoko, and we’ve been able to flush out the miscreants.

“As a matter of fact, they even ran away before our men got there. This is to tell them that Ondo State is not a place for terrorists and people with bad intention to stay.

” No matter how deep into the forestry area, we remain resolute to ensuring the safety of lives and property in such area.

“Hence, the Governor has graciously approved that two of the existing control posts in the forest be further reinforced, while additional four, making a total of six, will be put in place.

” These are to be manned by specially trained Amotekun Rangers whose sole responsibility is to ensure that the nefarious activities of these miscreants are checkmated”

Speaking on some suspects paraded, Adeleye said that “the decline in the number of suspects paraded can be grossly attributed to the 24-hour patrol of men of the Ondo State Security Network Agency.

The commander said that a syndicate that specializes in killing Okada riders and making away with their Okada have been arrested

“We equally have two of them who attempted to kill the security men put in charge of a petroleum product. We have on display the guns which they used before the long arm of law caught up with them.

On the anti-grazing and farmer-herder relationship, the commander said that ” we have a number of issues regarding the enforcement of the anti-open grazing law but we are putting measures in place to checkmate the excesses.

“Our ultimate goal is that farmers should be able to farm without fear while herders do their businesses without infringing on the rights of the farmers.