There was
commotion, yesterday, at Ojokoro, along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, after an
underground ritualists den was uncovered.
A mob then
set two suspected ritualists ablaze, while two policemen, who attempted to
protect one of the suspects from the mob, were over powered and injured. The
ritualists den popularly known as Ajele, is an underground manhole, which
stretched from one end of the road at Obadeyi Bus Stop to an adjoining street.
Unsuspecting victims are reportedly kidnapped unnoticed and taken inside the
manhole. Vanguard gathered that the bubble burst, yesterday morning, after the
cry for help from a woman was reportedly heard by street sweepers, who were at
work.
The sweepers reportedly raised the alarm on sighting the woman being
dragged into the underground den. Some brave passers-by and members of the Odua
People’s Congress, OPC, who reportedly went for the victim’s rescue, apprehended
one of the captors and set him ablaze.
Building at the end of tunnel Vanguard
gathered that at the far end of the tunnel was an abandoned building, with
about four rooms, where several female clothes, braziers and shoes were found
in a bag. Eyewitnesses claimed that a decomposing corpse was also found in one
of the rooms, from where an offensive stench was emanating.
Before the arrival
of security agents, OPC members could not go into the tunnel as they claimed
that it was too dark. While the search was still on, a man suspected to be one
of the ritualists, reportedly ran out of the tunnel. He was subsequently
lynched. Two Police Corporals, who attempted to prevent the mob action were
overpowered and injured by the crowd.
The surging crowd, who stated that there
were more suspects in the den, refused a team of policemen from accessing the
den, as they insisted on carrying out a mob action on anyone that comes out of
the tunnel. It, however, took the combined effort of the Military, conventional
and Mobile policemen, including those attached to the Rapid Response Squad,
RRS, led by the Commander, Mr. Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of
Police, to assuage the crowd. An OPC member’s experience One of the OPC
members, who gave his name simply as Taju, said: “There are about four rooms at
the end of the underground tunnel. The first man we caught was found sitting
inside one of the rooms.
“We were able to rescue the woman, who was crying for
help. We only searched two rooms remaining two. “So far, we have arrested three
persons but the mob set two of them on fire. Security agents prevented the
third person from being set on fire. If the Police or Army will volunteer to
join us, we will comb the entire tunnel and bring the remaining people out.” Mob
lynched 2, we arrested 3—Police But the RRS Commander, Disu, led a team of
policemen from one end of the tunnel to where the uncompleted building was
located, where the bag containing lots of clothes and other personal effects
were found.
Speaking with journalists after the search, which lasted over one
hour, ACP Disu said: “We have told the crowd to maintain peace and allow us to
do our job. It will be good to get any of them to talk to us, as this will aid
our investigation and help crack this issue. About two policemen have been
injured.
“The Commissioner of Police is sending Scene of Crime experts and
Police dogs here. That is the best international standard. We are still making
effort to clear the manhole to see if people are still there. “So far, two people
have been lynched and three arrested.”
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