'Edo ritualist den fit be false alarm' - Edo Civil Society Organisation

More tori still dey come out about di 20 corpses wey police for Edo State discover for one suspected ritual shrine along Asoro Slope, Off Ekenwa Road, Uzebu Quarters, Benin City, di Edo State capital, Southern Nigeria.

Dis na because Edo Civil Society Organisation (EDOSCO) dey say di Edo State Police Command fit don raise false alarm and no do proper investigation before dem declare say na ritualist den dem discover.

For statement wey di tok-tok pesin of EDOSCO, Leftist Aliyu Unweni sign say dem carry out independent investigation on di tori wey burst and get some findings show say:

1. Di building wia dem find di mummified deadibody dem no be ritualist den but na new morgue dem just build to keep corpses dem carry comot from an old facility becos di operator get quit notice.

2. Di operational name of di morgue na St. Gabriel Funeral Home and e get oda offices for No. 24 1st Federal Road, Benin City with branches for Anambra and Ebonyi State, also for Murtala Mohammed way and Ist East Circular road wia dem move di corpses come from.

3. Di shrine wey di police discover na traditional form of worship of di proprietor for spiritual protection for imsef and di mortuary business e dey do.

4. Di Police no conduct proper investigation before dem address di media and so come raise alarm say na ritualist shrine.

5. As at di time dem do dis report, di police never go visit oda branches of di morgue wey dey different parts of di city.

6. Di videos wey dey reign show say di corpses get name tags and Medical equipment dey visible for di building. Also, further interview of a worker for anoda branch of di morgue reveal say e get register of all di corpses wey dey di facility and some of dia owners don begin call say dem wan come take away di corpses wey dem deposit dia.

7. Members of one vigilante group wey dey guard di place no allow dia team of investigators to get access to di morgue wen dem go dia.

Sake of all dis, EDOSCO say di insinuation by di police say na ritualist den na false alarm and attempt to paint di pipo of Edo State in bad light.

But dem also observe say e dey possible say di morgue fit be illegal one or e fit no get di necessary permits to operate as morgue and dis na sometin wey di Police suppose chook eye investigate properly.

E add say Police naim answer call wey dem make to di proprietor of di place and e tok say di proprietor dey with dem (di police).

Di Edo Civil Society Organisation also observe say di Edo State Goment also suppose investigate di matter well so dem no go share misinformation wey go de-market di State to di outside world.

Police explain wetin dem discover for di shrine

Na di Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of State Criminal Investigation Department na im dey incharge of investigation for dis mata.

Earlier, Police tok tok pesin for Edo State Police Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor bin explain to BBC Pidgin say di corpses get identification documents wey dey assigned to dem wey indicate say dem fit bring dem from mortuary.

SP Nwabuzor say na pipo wey discover di building report to police say sometin dey go on dia and Police find many sacrificial items wey include animal blood and oda items behind di house.

E add say one of di suspects tell police say di owner of di place bin work as mortician for di hospital wey di deadibody dem come from.

Di Police discover 20 corpses for di building wey include 15 males, three females and two pikins and dem arrest three pipo from di suspected ritual shrine while odas run away.