The Kwara State Anti-Thuggery Task Force yesterday said it has arrested 22 suspected hoodlums at various locations in Adeta and Pakata areas of Ilorin, the state capital.

Alhaji Suleiman Abdulsalam, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security and Intelligence, spoke in Ilorin an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said some of the suspects were arrested at a shrine in Adeta in Ilorin, adding that some weapons and charms stained with fresh blood were recovered from them.

Abdulsalam told NAN that a joint operation, comprising the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), vigilance groups and the police, tagged: Operation Harmony, last Friday, also arrested 32 people at an Indian hemp joint in the outskirt of Ilorin.

According to him, all the suspects are being detained and interrogated by security agents.

Abdulsalam urged the residents to be security-conscious and always give useful information on suspected criminals to security agencies.

NAN reports that the task force was constituted by the state government to curb post-election violence, which led the destruction of valuable property, such as buildings and vehicles worth millions of naira.