No fewer than 16 suspected cattle rustlers from Kwara State have been arrested in Ekiti State while allegedly planning to relocate to the state.

The Director of Information of the Ekiti State Amotekun Corps, Abiodun Adeleye, said on Wednesday that the suspects were sighted with their cattle around the Gede Farm settlement in Isan-Ekiti, causing panic among residents of the community.

According to him, Amotekun operatives were immediately reinforced from nearby outposts and mobilised to Oye Local Government Area, where the suspects were apprehended.

During interrogation, the suspects reportedly confessed that they fled Kwara State following intensified security operations against banditry, admitting their involvement in cattle rustling targeted at local herders.

Items recovered from the suspects included cash, seven mobile phones, assorted charms, three Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) identity cards and herds of cattle.

Adeleye said the suspects had been handed over to the Rapid Response Squad of the Ekiti State Police Command in Ado-Ekiti for further investigation.