Osun police dismiss alleged motor park fire reports, warn against fake news

(Motor park. Photo by Daily Post)

The clarification followed claims that circulated on Wednesday alleging that major motor parks in the Osun State capital had been destroyed by fire, a development that sparked concern among residents, travellers and the Osun State Police Command.

Reacting to the reports, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Osun State Police Command, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, disclosed that officers had visited the parks after a national television station broadcast claims that some parks in Osun, particularly in Osogbo, had been set ablaze.

He stated that a physical inspection of the parks showed nothing of such nature, noting that there was no visible sign of fire anywhere, let alone an entire park being burnt down.

He added that residents, travellers and commuters were going about their lawful activities peacefully across the state, and urged transport workers to remain peaceful, resolving any grievances through appropriate authorities, as both Nigerian laws and park management regulations provide established channels for addressing disputes.

Meanwhile, at the Stadium Motor Park in Osogbo, a vulcaniser, Olawale Olagunju, said there had been no fire incident or unrest throughout the week, noting that he had been present at the park all week and observed no sign of any part of it being set ablaze, nor any chaos.

He explained that the park is usually busiest in the mornings, as it serves travellers heading to Abuja, Kaduna and Kano, with activity naturally reducing from the afternoon until the following morning.

Also speaking, a vehicle tyre trader at the same park, Agboola Moshood Opeyemi, dismissed the reports, insisting there had been no problem at the park since Monday and that no section of it was set on fire.

At the Aregbe Motor Park along Gbongan-Ibadan Road, Osogbo, a soft drink vendor, Oluwatoyin Osunkunle, similarly denied any such incident, stating that normal activities were ongoing and assuring that there was complete peace at the park.

Likewise, a trader at the Old Garage Motor Park, Ojurin, Osogbo, Adeyinka Adebayo, said business activities had continued without disruption despite a protest that took place at the park on Monday.

He noted that he did not notice any fire and that business had continued normally without crisis, adding that the protest at Old Garage had since been resolved by the police.