Soka
community in Ibadan, Oyo State turned to a Mecca of a sort on Saturday, when an
abandoned property at Idi Mangoro area was discovered with about 15 chained
people suspected to have been kidnapped.
About six
guns and several cutlasses were also recovered from the house beside it said to
belong to Black Horse Plastic factory.
The
discovery was said to have been made when some people who were looking for
their missing family member, an okada rider, stumbled on the building situated
in an undeveloped part of the community, and from where they were hearing
voices.
On
entering the building, the people who made the discovery reportedly met the
inmates who were highly malnourished, on arrival,
only six of them- three males and three females were met.
One of
them was looking like a skeleton and in the throes of death with his mouth hanging
open while he groaned in pain as flies hovered around his mouth, nose and eyes.
Human
bones were also found inside a well in front of the eight-room building said to
belong to Ponti Construction Company. The building beside it, it was learnt,
also belonged to Black Horse Plastic Company.
Also, many
shoes, bags, clothes and other accessories were found in two containers which
stood beside the house while mobile numbers 08140574774 and 07038651723 with
the name ’Friba’ and 08061197191 with the name ‘Koko Aram’ were also written on
the inside wall of the building.
Identification
cards with names such as Mr Rafiu Alamu (tanker driver) and national identity
and First Bank ATM cards belonging to one Mrs Janet Motunrayo Lemo were also
found at the scene.
Some of
the inmates were said to have run for dear lives immediately their chains were
loosened, with one of them who claimed to have been an immigration official
shouting with glee as he breathed air of freedom and ran away.
One of the
female inmates said that she was delivered of a baby on Friday
and the baby was immediately taken away. Evidence of being a new mother could
be seen as she had blood stains around her.
As
operatives of Operation Burst and policemen from Sanyo arrived at the scene,
four men who claimed to be security guards were arrested from the building
belonging to Black Horse.
One of
them who gave his name as Abideen Akanmu, said that
he was brought to the building by one Gbadamosi to watch over the house
inmates.
He further
disclosed that Gbadamosi used to bring people who were dirty looking. “We would
bring them and shave their heads,” he disclosed.
A member
of the community who spoke anonymously said that he got a call
from neighbours and “when I got there, I saw people who were like mad people
but on a closer look, I saw that they were not really mad, but had gone through
starvation. Some of them said they had been there for two years while others
said seven months.
“I was told that some of them died from
starvation. That was why I called the chairman of Oluyole Local Government,
Prince Abass Alesinloye so that he could see things himself.”
Another
community leader, Dr Amodu Akeem, a lecturer at Lead City University also told
Sunday Tribune: “At about 10.45am, I received a call from a neighbour who
intimated me of the discovery in our community.
“When I
got there, I discovered that they were not mad people as they spoke Yoruba and
English fluently. They were about 15. That prompted us to alert the local
government chairman.”
They both
appealed to the government to intensify patrol in the neighbourhood as the
community had become endangered with what was discovered.
One of the
inmates who gave his name as Tunji Alabi said he was a conductor when he was
abducted and brought to the house. He said he had spent seven months.
A
community member also alleged that the security guards were just disguising,
labelling them as killers. He said the kidnapped people were sane but were
malnourished. He also added that all of them were met chained.
Reacting
to the story when contacted, the chairman of Oluyole Local Government, Prince
Abass Alesinloye said he had already called the attention of the Special
Adviser to the governor on Security Matters to the matter.
He added
that he had called security agents such as Operation Burst and Divisional
Police Officer, Sanyo Division so that the place would be secured.
The local
government chairman also said he had made arrangement that the rescued victims
be taken to the hospital for prompt medical attention.