Men of the Oyo State Security Network Agency otherwise called Amotekun, on Monday stopped a truck loaded with about 80 men suspected to be herdsmen at the Iwo Road axis of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The suspected herdsmen, on board a truck said to be coming from the north, were reported to have been stopped by the Amotekun Corps. Checks by the security men showed that the suspected herders had with them bows, arrows and daggers in the the vehicle.
Oyo Reporters gathered that the intercepted truck also contained cows and about 25 motorcycles.
The men were reported to have told the Amotekun operatives during interrogation that they were heading to Lagos and Ogun states.
When being searched, sources said that some residents of the area trooped to the scene. However, in order to avoid crisis, the security agents reportedly led the truck and its occupants to the police station at Testing Ground area in Iwo Road.
They were said to have been handed over to the police at the station for further interrogation.
When contacted, the Commandant of Amotekun in Oyo State, Col. Olayinka Olayanju (retd.), confirmed the incident to our correspondent stating that in the state, there are no hiding place for rogues and criminals.
Olayanju said, “We arrested about 80 men in a truck. We found some bows and arrows and knifes in the truck. They also had some cows and motorcycles there.
“We couldn’t carry out a thorough search because we had started started attracting attention so we moved them to the police station nearby.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, Mr Olugbenga Fadeyi, also confirmed the incident in a telephone interview.
Fadeyi said, “Some persons were intercepted and they were taken to Agodi Police Station where they were profiled. They said they were coming from Wudil in Kano and were going to Lagos and some to Ogun State. They said they were taking the cows to the abattoir in Agege, Lagos.
“We didn’t find anything incriminating on them. They were released and escorted to the Toll Gate area on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. They are no longer in Oyo State territory.”
