•As APC, Accord party trade words over evil forest
While residence of Ibadan, Oyo State capital are still yet to recover from the disheartening discovery of a evil forest on Saturday in Soka area, where dying men, women, human skulls and decomposing bodies were found, another suspected ritualist disguising as a mad man has been arrested by the residence of Oni & Sons, Ring Road, Ibadan.
The yet to be identified man, who has been residing by the side of the pedestrian bridge at Oni & Sons bus stop, the residents stated that he must have been perpectuating the evil acts close to a year now because he has been staying there for long.
One of the eye witness at the scene, who confided in The Nation, explained that luck ran against the middle age man when some resident of the area who have been suspecting his moves, decided to search him and discovered his obnoxious act.
During their search, human bones, tongues, female clothes, bra and pants were discovered in his luggage.
Also, more than 400 campaign posters of a Labour Party (LP) governorship aspirant in the state, Comrade Olu Abiala were among the items recovered from him under the bridge were he kept his luggage, along with other dangerous weapons.
The aggrieved public would have lynched him immediately if not for the quick intervention of the policemen from Oluyole.
The suspected ritualist was later taking to Oluyole Police Station by the security agents for further investigation.
Confirming the report when contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Olabisi Ilobanafor said the man found with human tongue was a destitute.
Ilobanafor said it was on a forensic test that could confirm whether what found on him was human tongue or not.
She said the suspect had been taken to the state Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
The police image maker who noted that since the discovery at Ibadan forest of death, angry mob had been attacking suspected people, noted that one person had killed and another person was rescued by the police.
The PPRO warned members of the public against taking laws into their hands, urging them to report any suspected person to the police.
Debunking the allegation of the Labour Party governorship aspirant’s posters on the phone yesterday, the State Co-Chairman of the party, Alh Bashiru Apanpa stated that he is not in town and cannot ascertain how the poster’s got to the suspected ritualist abode.
He said some of his party members are already at the scene of the incidence to investigate more on the development.
In another development, a Chieftain of Accord Party (AP) in the State, Chief Ayodele Adigun , has accused Governor Abiola Ajimobi and his government of being responsible for the development of the “horror forest” at Soka area of Ibadan where scores of human skeletons, skulls and decomposing and mutilated body parts of dead bodies were found on Saturday.
The AP chieftain described Ajimobi’s visit to the scene and his revocation of the Certificates of Occupancy of owners of the land as a mere show of deceit and hypocrisy.
Adigun, who also doubles as a former Secretary to the State Government, stressed that the dead and decomposing bodies found at the sight could be those of destitutes and lunatics picked off from the streets as the land, according to him, was used by the government to resettle destitutes and lunatics.
Adigun stated that the government could no longer maintain the programme and that was why the inmates were abandoned.
Adigun who traced the history of the expansive land, said that it was initially in care of Aprofirm, a government contractor that first handled the Ogunpa project in 1996, before being handed over to Costain West Africa Ltd.
He further that:”When Costain could no longer go ahead with the project, government impounded the site along with their equipment and it has been in the possession of government since that time till date. I was there as Permanent Secretary.
“Along the line, the Ajimobi administration, through its Environment Commissioner, Wasiu Oladimeji, started resettling destitutes and lunatics taken off the streets there. Due to government negligence, the place could not be maintained and they were all abandoned there”
Although he did not rule out the activities of ritualists as he agreed that: “apparently ritualists might have capitalised on this official lapses to turn it into a den”
But the AP Chieftain insisted that considering the history and development of the place, “government paved the way for this nefarious activities”
“It is not impossible that the harvests of skulls and skeletons observed there are those of the abandoned destitutes and lunatics. They quarantined the people there and killed them” he said
He described Governor Ajimobi’s visit to the place on monday as a mere show of hypocrisy, and said that the revocation of the Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) was a show of deceit and hypocrisy.
Also reacting immediately on behalf of the government to the allegations in a statement issued by the Interim Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), in the state, Mr Dauda Kolawole they warned Accord Party to desist from politicising the grief of the masses.
Oyo APC urged all men of goodwill to stop the Accord Party in the state from capitalising on what it called the fresh blood of the dead people of the state to gain cheap political advantage.
“The people of Oyo State are in a state of grief and shock at the horrendous discovery of ritual killers’ den in the state. The situation calls for sober reflection from all and sundry. To be confronted with this cheap politicking in the name of infantile accusation by the Accord Party is like opening the fresh wound of the people of the state who are still mourning their dead and lamenting the ugly incident,” the party said.
The APC stated that from emerging testimonies of the kidnap victims, it was obvious that the den had been in existence almost ten years ago, a period that covered what it called “the drab government of Senator Rashidi Ladoja” and his successor.
They said rather than accusing the government of insensitivity, it was the security consciousness of the government that led to the discovery of the den and the prompt response of government had become a thing of commendation from all and sundry.
“We are aware that the Accord Party had been attempting to use this unfortunate event to come back to reckoning by instigating the people and selling them cheap lies of government using the forest as a camp for mad people. We are also aware that Accord Party chieftains have infiltrated the rank of sympathisers at Soka with the sole aim of creating a violent scene and disrupting the peace of the state. Unfortunately for them, the evidences of victims who told the world that they were not insane have put a lie to their campaign of destruction,” APC noted.
While warning the Accord Party faithful masterminding the campaign, especially former Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Dele Adigun, to desist from seeking to profit from the people’s grief, the party said the state had left the era of politicians climbing to the people’s hearts by manufacturing lies and falsehood.
