The Police has on Monday discovered an Illegal detention in Ibadan, Oyo state capital.
Okay.ng reports that the more than 200 inmates were held hostage at a mosque at Ojoo end of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The operator of the centre has been arrested in company with other suspected accomplices.
Commissioner of Police in the state, Shina Olukolu, speaking to reporters at the scene disclosed that a 17-year-old escapee from one of the facilities located at Apata area of the state hinted the Police.
The escapee told the police of the existence of another facility located at the Ojoo area, where hundreds of victims were rescued in an operation that lasted till late Monday evening.
Olukolu said in quotes:
“It is the responsibility of the Nigerian Police Force to protect lives and property. This morning, November 4, I received a call via a young man, who informed one of my divisional police officers that there is an illegal detention facility somewhere at Owode, Apata in Ibadan, being run by someone, who claimed to have the powers to be able to change the anti-social behaviours of youngsters and others.
“However, the young man said they were being maltreated, they were not being well-fed, they were being treated like slaves and they were engaged in forced labour, and sometimes their deaths were not reported to anybody.
“On the basis of that information, the police decided check it out. We got to Owode, Apata. By the time we got there, they have evacuated that facility. But from the surroundings, we knew that there were people in that place earlier than the time we arrived.
“However, the young man informed the police that there is another detention facility and that is where we are now at Oloore, Ojoo area of Ibadan.
“Actually, when the police got here, we discovered that young men, young women are being kept in captivity in a dungeon-like situation. As a matter of fact, man’s inhumanity to man is being manifested in this environment. And we are not happy about the situation.
“So, we got across to the state government and state government officials are around. They are here with a view of ensuring that some of these young men that are kept against their will are liberated and allowed to be in a position where they can talk to themselves and take care of themselves.
“Definitely, this area will be secured and the police will be able to do further investigation, further search and anyone at all, who is found culpable will definitely be arrested, investigated and prosecuted diligently to serve as a warning to others, who may want to operate such houses that serve as illegal detention centres.”
Shina Olukolu – Oyo State Commissioner of Police.Okay.ng recalls that several illegal detentions have been discovered in Kaduna, Katsina and Lagos State.
