The Ekiti State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps, has arrested 16 suspected bandits said to have migrated from Kwara State into Ekiti.
The suspects were apprehended on Wednesday by operatives of the Amotekun Oye Local Government Command.
The arrest was confirmed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Director of Information of the corps, Mr Adeleye, who disclosed that the suspects were intercepted around the Gede Farm settlement in Isan-Ekiti.
According to the statement, residents became alarmed after the suspects were sighted in large numbers with herds of cattle within the community, a situation that reportedly caused tension and panic.
It added that the development prompted the deployment of reinforcements from nearby Amotekun outposts, leading to the arrest of the suspects within Oye Local Government Area.
The corps said preliminary interrogation revealed that the suspects allegedly fled Kwara following intensified security operations against banditry in the state.
Amotekun further stated that the suspects confessed to being involved in cattle rustling and other criminal activities within parts of Kwara State.
Items recovered from them included cash, seven mobile phones, assorted charms, three Vigilante Group of Nigeria identity cards, and several cattle.
The statement noted that the suspects have been handed over to the Rapid Response Squad of the Ekiti State Police Command in Ado-Ekiti for further investigation.