The Oyo State Police Command said on Thursday that it had arrested eight persons in connection with the discovery of a horror forest in Soka area of Ibadan.The command’s Public Relations Officer, Mrs Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor, said this when Mr Femi Omolaja, the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police in charge of Zone 11, visited the site. The police spokesperson said that the names of the arrested suspects would however not be made public yet. We are working hard on the case and very soon, we shall bring to book perpetrators of the deadly and inhuman act. We are already making headway with the arrested eight persons, but we would love to keep their identities secret for now because investigations are still on,’’ he said.
The AIG, however, assured members of the public that the police would not relent until those who operated the death camp were arrested and prosecuted. He said his visit was at the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Malam Mohammed Abubakar. I want to thank the people for their cooperation and patience. I also urge everyone to be sensitive to happenings in their environment and report any suspicious movement to security agents immediately,” he said.
Omolaja, thereafter, warned members of the public to desist from taking laws into their hands.
He said they should stop attacking mad people they suspect to be ritualists. The AIG, however, said that it was necessary to stop demolition work on the site in order to aid police investigation. Forensic experts must be allowed to evaluate the place before the demolition can be completed,’’ he said.
In a related development, the House of Representatives on Thursday mandated three of its standing committees to probe the existence and operation of kidnappers’ den in Soka, in Oluyole Local Government of Oyo State.
The committees were Human Rights, Police, Intelligence and National Security, and they were expected to submit their report within four weeks. It also urged the Inspector-General of Police to direct his men to take over the area and preserve the evidence. The house further urged the Federal Government to set up a Judicial Commission of Enquiry to unravel the facts behind the establishment of the den.
The resolution followed a motion by Rep. Ibrahim Olaifa (Accord-Oyo), which was unanimously adopted without debate when put to vote by the Speaker, Rep. Aminu Tambuwal.
Olaifa, while moving the motion, expressed dismay over the discovery of kidnappers’ den in Soka in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State. According to him, several victims were found together in varying states of poor mental and physical health within the inhabitable area in Soka forest.
He also expressed concern that the remains of human beings in different stages of decomposition were found in the area. The lawmaker said the matter was a national tragedy that required the intervention of government whose primary purpose was to protect the lives and dignity of its citizens. (NAN)
