Another suspected ritualist’s den was on Thursday uncovered at Ile-Zik area of Mangoro, Agege, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
A mob tried to burn down the massive structure suspected to be hideout of ritualists, but the police prevented them from doing so.
Several policemen, army and neighbourhood watchers have been deployed to the area to forestall the break down of law and order.
An eye witness who craved anonymity told PM News that for the intervention of the police, the building believed to be harbouring one of the suspected ritualists would have been burnt down.
A huge crowd gathered around the expressway, hindering smooth vehicular movement.
The police have whisked away three suspects believed to be ritualists from the scene with Rapid Response Squad, RRS vehicles to prevent them from being lynched by aggrieved crowd.
The suspects were all smoked out of the disused drainage channels with tear gas.
The building said to be a warehouse is presently being guarded by RRS officers to prevent it from being burnt down.
It was gathered that a suspected madman was found around the manhole making calls with an iPhone. Eyewitnesses claimed that he was heard saying ‘the people are there,’ a statement that arouse the suspicion of curious passers-by. Eyewitnesses further stated that when accosted, the madman attempted to run inside the tunnel, but was apprehended and beaten to a pulp before the arrival of security agents, who rescued him from the mob.
However, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, Fatai Owoseni, described claims that the tunnel was a ritualists den as false. He said rather that destitute resided there. His words: “We have to stop this culture of jungle justice and allow the law take its course. This matter is a pure case of destitute and not ritualists.