Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
About 50 persons have been ‘intercepted’ by the Kwara State Police Command who were believed to have been smuggled into the state en-route Oyo State in the guise of bags of fruits.
The human cargo, both male, female and children were packed in a trailer truck and covered with fruits from Zamfara State passing through Kwara State to Ogbomoso in Oyo State.
Trucks transporting essential goods like food, beverages, fruits and medicals have been exempted from the lockdown imposed in the state on account of the Coronavirus pandemic.
A statement by the Kwara State Police Command spokesman, DSP Ajayi Okasanmi, said that the police command “has intercepted a trailer full of humans of not less than fifty people as against both the Federal and State government directives.
“Inter-state travels in a bid to curb the spread of novel Coronavirus pandemic have remained banned by the directive”, Okasanmi said.
He maintained that the truck used the essential service exemption to perpetrate their violation of the inter-state travel order.
The statement reads; “Today 03/05/20, at about 08:30am, acting on an actionable intelligence, policemen from kwara state police Command intercepted a Trailer loaded with supposed fruits but hidden beneath the fruits were women, men and young children totaling 50.
“They were being trafficked from Zamfara state to Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
“CP Kayode Egbetokun directed that they be escorted back to Kwara state border with Niger from where they claimed they came through”, Okasanmi concluded.