The Commander of Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) in Ogun State, Aare Shola Shodiyan, said on Monday that the command has arrested over 180 criminals across some councils and villages between June and October 2025.

Shodiyan, who disclosed this in an exclusive interview at the command’s office in Abeokuta, the state capital, mentioned the crimes to include theft, rituals, armed robbery, cyber crime, otherwise known as Yahoo Yahoo.

He said that the criminals, mostly goat thieves, ritualists and vehicle snatchers, were immediately handed over to the police as soon as they were arrested for further investigation on the matter.

“About 180 cases as of June to October. They are mostly thieves, ritualists, armed robbers, and Yahoo plus. They stole goats and vehicles from villages. So when we arrest them like that, we hand them over to the police, because one of the purposes of establishing VGN was to complement the work of the police,” he said.

The commander, however, commended Governor Dapo Abiodun for providing VGN with working tools and equipment, including vehicles, communication gadgets, motorcycles, and local arms, among others, to carry out their operations in combating crimes at the grassroots, urging other governors in the country to emulate him.

“Our challenges are that some of the governments of the day don’t show interest; they don’t provide resources for us to perform our duties. Not only governments, but also some influential people in the community.”

“Governor Abiodun has been providing these resources. If you get to his house in Iperu, you will see our vehicle and our men working hand in hand with other security agencies. He has been supportive. He has been assisting in training our men and assisting us with funds,” he noted. (The Guardian)