The Oyo State Police Command has said that a Blue Iveco Truck with registration number BWR 143 XD conveying 147 passengers, which was on Tuesday intercepted in the state at about 3 pm, did not have terrorists among them as being speculated.
The truck, driven by one Abdulahi Aliu, aged 30, had 140 male passengers aged between 12 and 30 years; four adult female passengers and three female children in it.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Adewale Osifeso, who clarified this on Wednesday, said that the truck was noticed on the Iyana Bodija-Iso Pako area of Ibadan by members of the public.
Osifeso stated further that during investigations, it was discovered that the truck and its passengers, found to be predominantly farmers and traders, were heading towards Ogere, Ogun State from Kaura Namuda, Zamfara State.
The PPRO said that when the truck was searched and its passengers profiled by a combined team of the police, men of the Department of State Services (DSS) and Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, to eliminate possibilities of ferrying escapees from any recorded jailbreaks within the country.
“The search revealed that the truck was conveying eight motorcycles and bags of beans and onions to be dropped with their owners at Bodija market.
“Upon the conclusion of the process, the truck and its passengers were escorted out of the state and have since been handed over and received by security operatives in Ogun State,” he added.
Commending the people of the state for their vigilance and cooperation towards providing credible and timely information, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Adebowale Williams, warned against spreading falsehood and unverified information capable of creating unnecessary panic among residents.
