Police intercept Oyo-bound Indian hemp, arrest three
Operatives of the Osun State Police Command have arrested three suspects and intercepted a vehicle allegedly conveying substances suspected to be Indian hemp along the Moro-Ife Road in Osun State.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, disclosed this in a statement obtained in Osogbo on Friday.
Ojelabi said the substance was being conveyed to Ogbomoso, Oyo State, when the vehicle carrying it broke down along the Ife Road in Moro.
He said operatives attached to the command’s Violence Crime Response Unit, Team E, were on routine patrol along the Moro-Ife Road when they came across the faulty vehicle and became suspicious.
The statement read, “On 30th August 2026, at about 1330hrs, a team of Police operatives from the Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU) Team E while on routine patrol along the Moro–Ife Road, came across a silver-coloured Toyota Sienna Space Bus with registration number BGT 81 OLG which had broken down and was abandoned by the roadside.
“The operatives noticing that something is not right which prompted them to snoop around and subsequently, one Awo Omotayo ‘m’, aged 38 years, who identified himself as the driver of the faulty vehicle, arrived at the scene with a red-coloured Nissan Cabstar vehicle with registration number EPE 299 YJ, driven by Abayomi Suleiman ‘m’, aged 22 years accompany by one Oluwatayo Samuel ‘m’, for the purpose of towing the Sienna vehicle. Makinde reaffirms commitment to quality education as Oyo schools resume Proprietors defend 30% fee hike as schools resume Monday 2027: Alli taps veteran journalists to lead media campaign
“A search was conducted by operatives on the said Sienna Space Bus, during which some bags of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp were discovered inside the vehicle. The suspects were immediately arrested, while the exhibits and the three vehicles were recovered and taken to the Command for discreet investigation.”
According to the PPRO, Omotayo, during interrogation, said a man identified as Baba Ibo, who operates around Garage Olode, Osun State, allegedly engaged him to convey the substance to Ogbomoso.
He added that Baba Ibo was said to be in possession of the contact details of the intended recipient, who was expected to receive the substance in Ogbomoso.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Ibrahim Zungura, directed a thorough investigation to unravel the source and intended recipient of the suspected illicit substance.
The command said efforts were ongoing to apprehend Baba Ibo and other persons who may be connected with the case.
It urged residents to remain vigilant and provide credible information that could assist in apprehending fleeing suspects and combating the trafficking of prohibited substances in the state.
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