No fewer than 20 persons were rescued and evacuated from a shrine allegedly used as a den for ritualists at Agungun area of Ibadan by men of the Oyo State Police Command.

The Police say the discovery which attracted scores of residents of the area was made by officers of the Agungun Police Station, Ibadan following an  intelligence report.

The rescued inmates, many of whom were skinned and malnourished are now in the custody of the police while the owner and operator of the shrine, one Alfa Oloore has been arrested and detained for questioning.

According to some of the residents, Alfa Oloore, who claimed to be a spiritualist and a spiritual healer has allegedly been operating the shrine for many years .

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Gbenga Fadeyi confirmed Oloore’s arrest and the evacuation of the inmates by the police.

Fadeyi further stated that the truth about whether the shrine is a den for ritualists and kidnappers was yet to be determined since investigations have not been concluded.

He said: “I can confirm that there was an arrest of the owner of the shrine where many inmates were recovered but some people came later to the police station to say they were the ones who gave their children to the owner of the shrine, who they also claimed to be a spiritualist.

“In fact, some of those recovered from the shrine had issues. Some behave like drug addicts, some like mentally challenged persons and so on. But what the police wants to do is to embark on thorough investigation into the matter and come up with a report.”