COVID-19: Northern youths sneaking into Osun, says govt

By Bright Olorungbotemi

Osun State Government on Wednesday said it has deployed officials of Amotekun to border communities of the state to check influx into Osun of many youths from the northern part of the country, especially Zamfara State.

The Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, Prince Adeyanju Binuyo, disclosed this in an interview on Wednesday.

He said the government was aware of the influx, but told the residents not to panic as adequate security measures have been put in place to arrest the situation.

He added that “all northern youths that had entered into the state by hiding in trucks transporting essential goods have been tracked down by the government and will immediately be sent back to their home states”.

Binuyo said, “Government is aware of a huge influx of non-Osun residents into the state, especially from Zamfara. They were coming majorly through the Ondo axis, accompanying trucks that are carrying food materials purportedly to be sold around the South-West generally.

“Sometimes the trucks would stop and drop some of them off along Ife Express Road where they are received by their fellow Northerners already resident in the State.

“The newly inaugurated Amotekun with the support of the police and army have been mandated to identify and man all the entry points, carry out proper checks on the trucks coming in the name of carrying food or relief materials and make sure that anyone found hiding in these trucks are immediately returned to their states.”