Operatives of the Osun State Police Command have arrested three suspects and intercepted a vehicle allegedly conveying substances suspected to be Indian hemp along the Moro-Ife Road.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, disclosed this in a statement obtained in Osogbo on Friday.

Ojelabi said the suspected Indian hemp was being transported to Ogbomoso, Oyo State, when the vehicle carrying it broke down along the Ife Road in Moro.

He said operatives of the Violence Crime Response Unit, Team E, were on routine patrol when they noticed a silver-coloured Toyota Sienna Space Bus that had broken down and was abandoned by the roadside.

According to him, the vehicle was later approached by its driver, Awo Omotayo, 38, who arrived with a Nissan Cabstar driven by Abayomi Suleiman, 22, accompanied by Oluwatayo Samuel, to tow the faulty vehicle.

The police searched the Sienna Space Bus and discovered bags of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp.

The three suspects were subsequently arrested, while the suspected illicit substance and three vehicles were recovered and taken to the command for investigation.

Ojelabi said Omotayo told investigators that a man identified as Baba Ibo, who operates around Garage Olode in Osun State, allegedly contracted him to transport the substance to Ogbomoso.

He said Baba Ibo was also said to have the contact details of the intended recipient in Ogbomoso.

The Commissioner of Police in Osun, Ibrahim Zungura, directed a thorough investigation to establish the source of the suspected illicit substance and identify its intended recipient.

The command said efforts were ongoing to arrest Baba Ibo and other persons linked to the case, while urging residents to provide credible information that could assist in tackling the trafficking of prohibited substances.