The Police Command in Oyo State has debunked the reported kidnapping of 18 passengers along Igboora-Eruwa area of the state on Thursday morning.
Some online media had reported that unknown gunmen hijacked an 18-seater bus, kidnapping all its occupants.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko, however, refuted the report on Thursday while parading 4 suspected kidnappers and 33 other suspects at the command’s headquarters at Eleyele, Ibadan.
The suspects were arrested for offences ranging from sodomy, car snatching and pickpocketing.
Onadeko said when the command got the news of the kidnapping, it made efforts to check its authenticity and discovered that nothing of such happened.
“I will enjoin people to desist from carrying baseless rumours that will create fear in the society.
“Oyo State Command will continue working hard to make sure that lives and property are secure.
“People should give us credible information that will enable us nip crime and criminality in the bud in the state,” she said.
Onadeko, however, said she believed that the parade of the suspects would send a warning signal to criminals and would help to reduce crime in the state.