Osun apprehends Northern travellers hiding in trucks carrying essential goods

The Osun State government has confirmed the interception of some Northern travellers who came into the state while hiding in trucks carrying essential goods amid a ban on inter-state travels.

Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Gboyega Oyetola, Adeyanju Binuyo confirmed this in a press conference with journalists on Wednesday April 29. He said the travellers have been tracked down and will be immediately sent back to their home states.

Binuyo said;

“Government is aware of a huge influx of non- Osun residents into the state, especially from Zamfara. They were coming majorly through the Ondo axis, accompanying trucks that are carrying food materials purportedly to be sold around the South West generally.

“The intelligence that we’ve gathered in the last few days is such that they usually have two or a maximum of three people attached to a truck to assist in discharging the goods. But now we have sometimes ten of them hidden among the goods.

“Sometimes the trucks would stop and drop some of them off along Ife express road where they are received by their fellow northerners already resident in the state. The government has been receiving a lot of such reports most especially now that Amotekun has been properly set up. This portends a great danger especially at a time like this when Osun is doing everything to avoid community transmission of COVID-19. This is not the time to be reckless and allow safety or security breaches at our borders.

“Only food, medical, beverages, petroleum, agriculture and construction supply trucks are exempted but they cannot have more than three persons per truck.”

The Deputy Chief of Staff also disclosed that security agents in the state including Amotekun have been mandated to identify and supervise all the entry points.