A 17-year-old suspected vandal, Sunday Adegbolu, escaped death after he was electrocuted while allegedly vandalizing a transformer in Akure, in Akure local government area of Ondo state.
The Junior Secondary School Student of Commercial Secondary School, who escaped death by whiskers while power was restored when carrying out the operation.
The teenager, however, escaped death but parts of his body was badly damaged including his limbs and part of his hands and was rushed to the hospital.
He was rushed to at least three hospitals by his sponsors to evade arrest but he was rejected at the hospitals while his accomplice took him out of the state in a bid to kill the young boy but they were arrested by men of the Amotekun operatives.
Speaking, the suspect said “We were three in number and we were to sell the electricity transformer cable to one Mr Abubakar, at N25,000.
This was my second operation. During my first operation, we vandalized and stole the electrical installation of an uncompleted building.
“On the latest incident, it happened on April 28, only two of us went to the transformer. I never knew that there was going to be an electricity supply.
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“It’s the handwork of the devil that pushed me to the crime”.
Speaking on the arrest of the young boy and 44 others, the State Commander of Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said the command took up the bill in order to revive the suspect, saying this was due to the severe burnt on different parts of his body.
He said ” Today, we are parading 45 suspected criminals that have been engaging in various acts of criminal activities within the state.
“Our men have been on constant 24/7 patrol across the 18 council areas of the state and a total of 45 suspected criminals have been arrested in the last two weeks.
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“Of particular note is a set of criminals that engage in vandalization of electricity transformers. Fate caught up with one of them, Sunday Adegbulu who is 17 years old. Unfortunately, while cutting the cables, electricity was supplied and burnt half of his body.
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“After a lot of trailing, we arrested him because the moment it happened, he was rushed to three different three hospitals and when they got wind of the fact that detectives from the Amotekun corps are on their trail, they moved him out of Akure.
“We also trailed him to the location and brought him in a very terrible state. He was to be killed so that he will not reveal his sponsors. We had to revive him, brought him to the health facility of the corps and we spent a lot of money to make him come back to life.
“He was able to tell us that nine other members of the gang, including their godfather who is on the run. We are the trail of the godfather”
Speaking on other suspects, he said, “We also have one Jubril, a suspected kidnapper that was arrested a couple of weeks ago but was released on bail and within 48 hours of his release, the residents and traditional ruler of his village called us that three people were to be kidnapped by the gang of this same suspect but we were able to apprehend them.
“It is of note that the security organization that arrested him is still going on with the court case on the initial kidnap case. Now, he was arrested for another one.
“We have cases of those that specialise in vandalization of electrical installations of uncompleted buildings all around. They pull out the wire, pill, melt and sell them to the same kingpin who is on the run and we’re still trailing”.
“We have few cases of house lifters and shop buglers and we have those that were arrested in connection with kidnapping and cultism.
“Out of these 45 suspects, seven are already in court but we needed them to throw light on our ongoing investigation, so, we sought the leave of the court to allow us few more days which was granted.
“That’s why they’re part of this 45 suspects. As soon as we complete the investigation, all of them will be taken to court to face the full wrath of the law.
“I want to appeal to the people of Ondo State that the government is resolute in guaranteeing the safety of their lives and prosperities.
“But, we also want to appeal that they give us timely and accurate information to work with. More than 70 per cent of these criminals were apprehended due to the timely information that we got.
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