The Police in Oyo on Thursday said it has uncovered a shrine believed to be a den for ritualists has been uncovered, Igbere TV reports.
The shrine, Igbere TV learnt, was uncovered in the Agungun region of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Twenty persons were evacuated by men of the Oyo State Police Command, who raided the shrine following intelligence report.
The discovery attracted scores of residents of the community, as the inmates, many of whom looked skinny and malnourished, were rescued and taken into custody by the police.
“The owner and operator of the shrine, Alfa Oloore, as he is fondly called, has been arrested and detained for questioning,” a police source said.
According to police investigators, Alfa Oloore, who claimed to be a spiritualist and a healer, has been operating the shrine for many years.
They described the shrine as a den of ritualists and kidnappers, where unsuspecting victims were kept for ritual purposes.
The Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Gbenga Fadeyi who confirmed the arrest, said investigation into the matter was ongoing.
“I can confirm that there was arrest of the owner of the shrine where many inmates were recovered. But, some people came later to the police station to say they were the ones who gave their children to the owner of the shrine, who they also claimed to be a spiritualist.
“In fact, some of those recovered from the shrine had issues, some behave like drug addicts, some like mentally deranged and so on. But what the police want to do is to embark on thorough investigation into the matter and come up with a report,” the Police Spokesman added.
