The kids.

The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, has arrested no fewer than 28 people for their involvement in various crimes in some parts of the state.

Among the suspected criminals were two secondary school girls who were arrested by the men of the corps for allegedly faking their kidnap and demanding ransom from their mother.

Parading the suspects at the headquarters of the command in Akure the state capital, on Monday, the state Commander of the Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, said the two female pupils were 13 and 15 years of age. Both of them were said to be in JSS 1 and JSS 3.

According to the commander, the suspects hid somewhere at Oka-Akoko, Akoko South-West Local Government Area of the state, and called their mother, pretending to be kidnappers who abducted them and demanded a sum of N100,000.

Adeleye also stated that pretending to be kidnappers, the girls called and threatened the monarch of their town to pay the ransom within 24 hours or they would kill the abductees in their custody.

He said, “The 28 suspects we are parading today (Monday) shows that we have more kidnapping than any other criminal activities. This is in continuation of our efforts at ensuring that kidnapping in Ondo State becomes a thing of the past.

“We have people who kidnapped themselves and raised alarm and in our diligent investigations, we were able to unravel the mystery surrounding their disappearance to the extent that they have confessed.”

The Amotekun boss noted that the arrest of the suspects was in collaboration with the operatives of the Department of State Security as the telephone line being used by the girls was tracked to where they were.

Speaking, one of the girls, who confessed to the crime, said it was her elder sister that lured her to it.

The 13-year-old said, “On that day, my sister and I spent the night in our grandma’s place and left there around 6:00 am the following day. While on our way back home, my (elder) sister told me that she had a plan to get money from our mother.

“She then revealed her plan to declare ourselves kidnapped and asked for N50,000 each ransom from our mother. It was my sister who taught me what to say when they put a call through to my mother.

“When we called we didn’t know that it was the monarch that was speaking with us on the phone and we threatened to kill our victims in captivity if they failed to pay the ransom quickly.”