Government Area of Ogun State, residents of Adigbe community in
Abeokuta metropolis yesterday discovered another operational base of
ritualists' syndicate.
According to eyewitnesses, one of the victims held in the den, a
pregnant lady, had on Wednesday night escaped. The victim ran into a
house located about 200 meters away from the den and pleaded
with the occupants to save her from her assailants.
The pregnant lady, who reportedly claimed to have hailed from Abia
State, told the occupants of the residence that her elder sister sold
her and her unborn baby to the ritualists for N100,000. It was also
gathered that the lady, who had just spent three days in the den, said
that the ritualists told her that she would not leave until she was
delivered of her baby for whom her aunty had been paid.
The shocking revelation, however, compelled the occupants to inform
the police, who eventually raided the premises around 11p.m. and
rescued three pregnant women and three young children, aged between
two and four years, from the den.
As the news broke, hundreds of angry youth, suspected to be students
from the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, Ojere, Abeokuta, invaded
the building and searched some of the rooms, which were already
padlocked by security agencies. The youths were said to be looking for
a cooler and a 20-litre jerry can allegedly filled with fresh human
blood.
After a thorough search of the building, the youth emerged with ritual
items, including an ivory plate containing fresh blood, coffin,
effigy, scorpion, charms and others. Also discovered were
international e-passport, identity cards of junior and senior
secondary school students of Sacred Heart Catholic College, Oke
-Ilewo, Abeokuta, who some people said might have been kidnapped and
killed by the suspected ritualists.
Several male and female white garments of worshippers suspected to
have fallen victims while going or returning from vigil were also
recovered[as pictured above]. After which the youth angrily set the
building and two vehicles parked within the premises - a Toyota Camry
car marked (Lagos) EKY 942 AJ and a Mitsubushi car marked (Lagos) AGL
971 BH ablaze.
It took the intervention of the Ogun State Fire Service personnel who
raced to the scene in two vehicles to put out the fire. Scores of
fierce-looking policemen who had been watching the angry youths
summoned courage and started firing life ammunition and canisters at
the youths to disperse them. Some of the youths were also arrested and
whisked away to the police headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta.
The Police Deputy Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi,
confirmed the incident, adding that two victims were rescued from the
den.
He said two others were also arrested in connection with the operation
of the house of horror.
Oyeyemi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, gave the names of the
rescued victims as Jennifer Goodluck, who is still nursing a
two-month-old baby, while the heavily pregnant victim was simply
identified as Oluchi, both indigenes of Abia State. The police
spokesman also explained that one Muibat Yusuf and her brother, both
indigenes of Kwara State, were arrested.
He said the matter had been transferred to the State Criminal
Investigation Department, SCID, Eleweran, for thorough investigation.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, who later visited the
scene, however, urged members of the public to be watchful of
happenings around them, particularly their neighbours.
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