The Edo State Police Command has said that it has discovered a ritual shrine located at Asoro Slope, off Ekenhua Road, Uzebu Quarters of Benin City.

In a statement made available to newsmen late Wednesday night, Deputy Police Public Relations Officer in the Command, ASP Jennifer Iwegbu, said “15 mummified male corpses, 3 mummified female corpses and 2 mummified children corpses were discovered at the scene,” by men of the command who invaded the area after credible information.

Iwegbu, in the statement named suspects arrested at the shrine as: Chimaobi Okoewu and Oko Samuel ‘M’ both of Afikpo in Ebonyi and Gideon Sunday ‘M’ of Akwa-Ibom State, adding that others, while sighting the police escaped.

The statement reads in part: “Following credible information at the Command’s disposal that some corpse were discovered in a building along Asoro slope off Ekenhua road, Uzebu quarters,Benin city. Operatives of the command immediately swung into action and mobilized to the scene.

“At the scene, 3 suspects, Chimaobi Okoewu ‘M’ and Oko Samuel ‘M’ both of Afikpo in Ebonyi and Gideon Sunday ‘M’ of Akwa-Ibom State were arrested while others fled. An intensive effort is ongoing to arrest the other fleeing suspects.

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“15 mummified male corpses, 3 mummified female corpses and 2 mummified children corpses were discovered at the scene.”

According to the statement, to unravel the circumstances surrounding the discovered corpses, the Commission of Police, CP Abutu Yaro, had directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of state CID to carry out a discreet investigation into the incident.

The statement also enjoined “the general public to be calm as the command will continue to ensure the safety of all law-abiding citizens and those residing in Edo state.”

A combined team of five divisions of the Nigeria Police Force, Federal Capital Territory Command, Wednesday night, razed a hideout in the Dawaki zone 7 area of Abuja, as hoodlums occupying the hideout fled upon sighting the cops.

It was gathered that the hideout, located at Dawaki Zone 7, harbours hoodlums terrorising the Dawaki and Dutse Alhaji areas of the nation’s capital city.

A resident who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the hideout was a hotbed for some criminal elements, adding that residents were usually wary of the location, especially at night.

The den was raided by a combined police team from the Dawaki, Zuba, Kubwa, Bwari, and Dutse Alhaji divisions led by the Divisional Police Officer of Dawaki police division, SP Ali Johnson.

A police officer, who also spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, noted that the den was razed to deter the hoodlums from reconvening and converting the hideout to a criminal den, after they took off as officers of the NPF approached.

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He said, “The hoodlums, upon sighting our team, took to their heels. Hence we had no other option but to burn down the hideout.”

Commenting on the operation, the FCT Police Command’s spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said the raid was part of the Command’s efforts to exterminate every criminal within the nation’s capital city.

Adeh said, “We are destroying and combing every angle to make sure that we flush every criminal elements within the FCT.

“We raided the place because it was capable of metamorphosing into a criminal den.”

Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Marvelrock Pharmaceuticals and Stores Limited, Mr Orakwe Celestine, for allegedly engaging in sales of illicit drugs on a popular e-commerce platform, Jiji.ng.

Orakwe, a graduate of Business Administration, University of Abuja, registered the pharmaceutical company on December 16, 2014, with the certificate and support of an unnamed licensed pharmacist, who opted out of the deal in 2017.

The suspect, Orakwe, however, continued running the business and enrolled it on Jiji.ng platform in 2019.

A statement by the NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, stated that he came under the anti-narcotics agency’s radar in October 2021 after advertising many pharmaceutical products such as Tramadol, Ketamine Hydrochloride injection, Hypnox flunitrazepam tablets among others on the Jiji.ng online marketplace.

The statement read in part, “Between October 26, 2021, and August 8, 2022, the NDLEA team assigned to investigate Orakwe’s drug business activities was able to establish that he was selling Tramadol 225mg and other illicit and/or controlled drugs through the e-commerce platform.

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“He was arrested with some quantities of Tramadol and Swiphnol brand of Rohypnol on Monday, August 8, at a drink joint in the Jabi area of Abuja where he had gone to make some supplies of orders made through his online channel on Jiji.ng.”

Reacting to Orakwe’s arrest, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), noted that the painstaking investigation and process of arresting the businessman should send a strong message to drug peddlers hiding behind the internet to engage in marketing and selling of illicit and/or controlled drugs, adding that the anti-narcotics agency would definitely get them to face the consequences of their action.