150 suspected members of Boko Haram have been arrested by the Police in Ondo on Thursday.
The men were said to have been in possession of arms and ammunition which include locally-made guns, knives, cutlasses and several torch lights.
The items were being conveyed in a truck before they were stopped by the policemen at Lipakala Junction in Ondo town.
However, the men, in their defence, said they were common farmers seeking greener pastures.
One of the suspects, Abdulahi Sheriff, explained that their relocation from the North was due to the harsh and dry season in their area which had negatively affected their activities as farmers.
The police spokesperson in the state, Femi Joseph, confirmed the arrest saying: “We discovered in our findings that the men are not Boko Haram members. Some of them engage in trading while some of them were going to Ore to do menial jobs. There is nothing that indicated that they are members of Boko Haram.”
The police spokesperson, however, said the suspects would not be released until the command completed investigation into the matter.
“We have to be completely sure that they are not members of the Boko Haram sect before we can allow them to go.”
