Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
At least, 50 men from Kaduna and Kebbi
State were on Friday intercepted in Ogbomoso, Oyo State for breaking the ban on inter-state transportation put in place by Governor Seyi Makinde to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
They were said to have been intercepted by a local askforce in Ogbomoso and security operatives at different locations in in the town. Some of the people were said to have been caught when they were alighting from an articulated vehicle in the vicinity of Federal Government College, and others were caught at the express road.
The chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Goernment, Alhaji Ibrahim Ajagbe, who confirmed the incident, stated that Divisional Police Officer, representatives of Ogbomoso Parapo Vigilance Group as well as Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) participated in the operation that led to the interception, adding that the intruders have been moved out of the state.
According to him, “Immediately we heard the information, we quickly moved to the scene and stopped them from moving to any part of the community. After interrogating them, we took them inside three buses and returned them to Oyo state boundary with Kwara State.
Meanwhile, two persons have been confirmed dead, while three others were injured in Ogbomoso on Friday as a mini articulated vehicle rammed into people standing by the roadside, cars and motorcycles.
The incident happened at Apake area along Old Ogbomoso-Ilorin Road and involved a caster Mitsubishi pick up with nine passengers, eight males and one female.
Two persons reportedly died on the spot, while the only person in coma and three that were injured have been taken to Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso for medical attention.
The North bound vehicle was said to have lost its break, while trying to evade arrest by the officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
The Sector Commander of FRSC in the state, Uche Chukwurah, confirmed the incident, saying the accident was as a result of brake failure and over-speeding.
He, however, absolved his men on the highway of any involvement in the crash as being speculated, adding that the vehicle rammed into some stationary vehicles and motorcycles while trying to evade arrest.
In a related development, one person was said to have died, many cars and motorcycles burnt, shops and good worth millions of naira destroyed as a result of fire outbreak at the popular Moniya Market, Ibadan very close to the headquarters of Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Sources said the inferno was caused by a tanker that fell down, and that apart from private a d commercial vehicles that were razed, an excavator and a truck belonging to a construction firm handling the Ibadan-Iseyin Road Project were also burnt.