Oyo State Government, on Friday, arrested 14 persons for operating illegal shanties and engaging in the unauthorised sale of diesel on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Ibadan.
The Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Security, Commissioner of Police (CP) Sunday Odukoya (retd), who led the state’s special task force to the area, confirmed this to newsmen during the parade of the suspects in Ibadan, the state capital.
Odukoya stated that, beyond selling adulterated diesel, they were also involved in various illicit activities in the area.
He revealed that the suspects would be prosecuted in a mobile court under the supervision of the Rule of Law Agency.
‘The State Government had issued several notices to the shanty operators, warning them to vacate the location before the enforcement action.
‘We gave them ample time to leave voluntarily, but they chose to ignore the directive.
‘This operation is ongoing, and we will not stop until the expressway is completely free of illegal structures’, he said.
One of the suspects, Bolaji Mustapha, confessed to participating in the illegal diesel trade but claimed he was unaware of any prior warnings from the government.
