An underground den of ritualists has been uncovered in Lagos. The underground den was discovered at Obadeyi Ajala street, Ijaiye in Abule-Egba.
The discovery was made by a street sweeper when she heard the distress cry for help coming from an underground tunnel, which linked to a canal at Obadeyi street. She immediately notified those around her about the cry coming from the underground; By the time the people could get underground, the woman who was crying for help has been killed but her baby was rescued alive.
Under the tunnel, soldiers were said to have found different body parts and many routes linking to the canal. Items recovered from the shrine included charms, carvings, white clothes stained with blood as well as native soap.
In the course of their hunt, a man belonging to the group was also arrested who later confessed to being part of a 28-member group operating under the canal.
According to an eyewitness account, the suspected ritual killers allegedly target pedestrians crossing or plying the road early in the morning and late at night, as the den is just about 50 metres away from the pedestrian bridge. They then drag their victims into the manhole, which stretches along the expressway, where they are eventually killed.
The residents of of Ijaiye, Ahmadiyya and environs were shocked by this discovery. According to reports in the Punch, the long siege on the tunnel by the residents led to the arrest of five kidnappers and ritual killers, two of whom were set ablaze by the angry mob while the police on the scene arrested the remaining three.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who visited the scene yesterday said the police will carry out scientific investigations on the items recovered from the tunnel.
