The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Monday, promised to look into the insinuations that many indigenes of the state were forcefully evacuated from Lagos and dumped at Ilesa by officials of Lagos State Government.

A statement by the spokesperson to the governor, Olawale Rasheed, said Adeleke had already spoken to his Lagos State counterpart, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on the matter.

Rasheed, however, said preliminary findings had revealed that buses from Lagos dropped youths from the state rounded up at different locations in Ilesa on Saturday.

The statement referred to a story by a news outlet (not PUNCH) published on Saturday saying several luxury buses dropped hundreds of youth at Ilesa after they were allegedly rounding up in several parts of Lagos State.

It further read, “The report was confirmed by an investigation team set up to confirm the veracity of the story by the Osun State Government. The state team reported that eye witness accounts confirmed the dropping of the youth in several luxurious buses by a team suspected to be from Lagos State.

“The state’s report showed that the youth were systematically dropped at Ilesa-Akure Express junction, Breweries; Ilesa – Ibodi – Iginla to Ife Express junction; Osun Ankara Express junction; Imelu Express junction; and Iperindo Express junction.”
Reacting, Adeleke expressed shock at the development, urging Sanwo-Olu to look into the matter and put an end to it if the report was true.

Quoting Adeleke, the statement read partly read, “I spoke with my brother, Governor Sanwo-Olu on the matter. He too was surprised and he denied ever authorising any such action. Governor Sanwo-Olu has promised immediate investigation to unravel the facts of the situation. The Lagos team will update us as quickly as possible.

“I am subsequently directing our security agencies in Osun to mount surveillance in and around Ilesa to track the deported youths and their destinations. I will update our people on this development. I urge residents to be calm while the security agencies carry out surveillance.”

If the latest evacuation and dumping of people from Lagos turned out to be true, it would the first time since year 2013 when such incident would happen.

On August 7, 2013, Osun State Government, received some destitute including two children evacuated from Lagos State.

Receiving the destitute at the National Youth Development Centre, Ode-Omu, then Special Adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Youths, Sports and Special Needs, Mr. Biyi Odunlade said that the state government had no other option, than to take care of its citizens in any part of the country.

END.