Osun Amotekun arrests suspected kidnapper, murderer

The Osun State Security Network Agency, commonly known as the Amotekun Corps, has successfully arrested a suspected kidnapper and murderer named Banji Olaniyi Julius.

This 31-year-old individual, according to the security agency, is linked to the sudden disappearance of Damilare Akinranti, a native of Moro in the Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State.

In a press statement released by Brigadier General Bashir Adewinmbi (retired), the Commander of the Osun Amotekun Corps, it is revealed that Damilare Akinranti disappeared on November 6, 2022, after being lured by the suspect.

The statement states, “Eleven months ago, on Sunday, November 6, 2022, at approximately 0900 hours, Banji Olaniyi Julius persuaded 24-year-old Damilare Akinranti to accompany him to a remote farm in Iguede, Area 5, within the same local government area. Unfortunately, Damilare has been missing since that day.

“The suspect who lured his victim to a farm in Iguede without his family members’ knowledge had since absconded from home when it was discovered that he took Damilare to a farm in Iguede and did not return with him. Aside from changing residence, he has changed his mobile phone number.”

Brigadier General Adewinmbi confirmed the arrest of the suspect, which took place in Jagun village within the Irewole Local Government Area. The suspect had been on the radar of the security outfit following a complaint lodged by the family of the missing person at the Ife North Command of the Corps.

General Adewinmbi said, “Luck ran out of Banji, following a tip-off from our extensive intelligence gathering network.”

The Osun Amotekun boss reiterated that the Corps’ commitment is proactively identifying such criminal elements in the state to face the wrath of the law.

He added that upon his arrest and preliminary investigation, the suspect confessed to having lured the missing person and many others to the same farm in years past.

“The suspect, after extensive investigation, has been handed over to the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) for further interrogation and prosecution as the law stipulates,” Adewinmbi concluded.