The Oyo state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Indabawa, has
blamed the harvest of death at the kidnappers’ den discovered in Ibadan recently
on the failure of successive governments in the state in the last ten years to
monitor activities going on in the site.
The CP, who addressed journalists after the state's Security Council
meeting presided over by Governor Abiola Ajimobi at the Governor's Office, Ibadan on Tuesday, corroborated the earlier position of the
state chapter of the Accord party on the issue.
The opposition party, had, shortly after discovering the site, informed
the public that the government was in the know of the existence of the forest,
insisting that it was acquired to take care of destitute and lunatics taken off the
street as part of urban renewal strategy of the incumbent government.
It also said that the place was abandoned and taken over by suspected ritualists when the state government failed in its financial obligations to the contractor on site.
Though the state government and its party, All
Progressives Congress (APC), were reluctant to admit responsibility, outcome of
the state’s Security Council meeting of Tuesday seem to indicate that the
government may have eaten the humble pie.
“From the information available so far, that place has been
there for a very long time, perhaps about ten years. It was initially used by a
construction company during the channelization of Ogunpa river and after then,
the site was abandoned. We got information in the course of our investigation
that government (previous and present) contracted the issue of picking lunatics
and then reuniting them with their families. That thing (kidnapping) had been
on but government was not aware of it,” the CP said.
On what the security agencies had done so far since the
discovery, Indabawa said a team of policemen had been sent from the Force CID,
Abuja with forensic pathologists.
“They were on site yesterday (Monday) and they will continue
the site investigation before the demolition (of the make-shift structures at
the site)” he added.
Apart from the revocation of C of O’s of lands in the area
as announced by the state governor during his visit to the site, Indabawa also
said the council had decided to take measures to ensure the security of lives
and property in the state.
“Security agencies have been mandated now to identify all
uncompleted buildings in the town and places of such nature so that if there is
any occurrence of such nature, people should report to the security agencies to
nip it in the bud,” he said.
He added that the police had rescued 42 lunatics or presumed
lunatics from the streets since two others had been killed by angry mob after
the site was discovered.
“The demolition of that place (Soka) will continue and be
completed so that other miscreants will not use that place for another
purpose,” he said.
Meanwhile, the state government has offered to create a
temporary shelter with medical personnel and other facilities to take care of
'the lunatics' before they are re-united with their families.
“The Oyo State government has decided to establish a
temporary site to accommodate the destitute that are rescued from the streets
and who are in the custody of the police. That will also go for others as time
goes on. This is an invitation and a clarion call to all NGOs, religious
organizations who have some expertise in this area to join hands with
government and collaborate with the state government on this project,” Toye
Arulogun, Special Adviser to the state governor on Public Affairs, told
journalists after the meeting.
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