Oyo State Government has given reasons for stopping demolition of the kidnappers’ den uncovered in Ibadan, the state capital, disclosing that the action is to allow the team of forensic experts from the police headquarters in Abuja carry out their investigations.
Governor Abiola Ajimobi ordered the demolition Monday during his visit to the forest, which is located at ‘Sokas’ area in Ibadan where some decomposed corpses were discovered and many captives rescued by security agents.
Ajimobi said that the forest should be demolished and cleared on the request of Soka community’s residents to allow for its accessibility, while he also directed environmental health officers to fumigate the entire area to prevent outbreak of epidemics.
A statement issued yesterday by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dr. Festus Adedayo, revealed that demolition of the buildings in the forest had commenced before the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ndabawa, contacted Chairman of Oluyole Local Government Council, Prince Ayode Abass-Aleshinloye and informed him of the need to stop the exercise to allow the team of forensic experts from the police headquarters in Abuja carry out their investigation.
Abass-Aleshinloye was at the site in company of his counterpart in Ibadan South-West
Local Government Council, Taoheed Adeleke and General Manager of Ibadan Local Government Property Development Company, Lekan Babalola, to supervise the demolition.
Ndabawa emphasised that if the demolition is allowed to continue as earlier planned, concrete evidences that would help the police in their investigations would have been destroyed.
According to the statement, “demolition and clearing of the forest will, however, resume tomorrow as the forensic experts are expected to have completed their investigations today.”
Meanwhile, Abass-Aleshinloye and Adeleke said that efforts are being made to ensure that the speculation in some quarters of possible dungeon in the forest was properly investigated and the site cordoned off.