The Edo State Police Command made unusual discovery of a ritualist’s den with 20 mummified bodies, along Ekehuan Road-axis of Benin City.
The Edo State Commissioner of Police, CP Abutu Yaro, disclosed in Benin that the Command unraveled the suspected ritualist’s den on Wednesday, August 17, and arrested three suspected ritualists.
Yaro said the raid was in line with the Command’s operational mandate of curbing crime in the state.
He statee that, “following credible information at the Command’s disposal that some corpses were discovered in a building along Asoro slope, off Ekehuan Road, Uzebu Quarters, in Benin City, operatives of the Command immediately swung into action and mobilized to the scene.”
According to him, three suspects were arrested at the scene, namely: Chimaobi Okoewu ‘M’ and Oko Samuel ‘M’ both of Afikpo in Ebonyi State and Gideon Sunday ‘M’ of Akwa-Ibom State, while other suspects fled.
Yaro said the Police have launched intensive manhunt to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
Among the corpses discovered at the suspected ritualist’s den in Benin were 15 dried male corpses, three female corpses and two children corpses.
He stated that the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of the State Command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been directed to carry out a thorough investigation to unravel circumstances surrounding the discovered corpses.
The Police Commissioner urged members of the general public to be calm as the command will continue to ensure the safety of all law-abiding citizens and those residing in Edo State.
