No Indications of Ritual Killings in Mummified Corpses, Says Obaseki

….Orders Police Investigations in Seven Days

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has declared that there is no indications of ritual killings involved in the 20 mummified bodies which were discovered Thursday in an uncompleted building in Ekenwan Road, Benin.

Governor Obaseki who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media Projects, Mr Crusoe Osagie at the Edo State Police headquarters, however, gave the Commissioner of Police, Mr Abutu Yaro seven days’ ultimatum to unravel the circumstances surrounding the mummified corpses.

Governor Obaseki insisted: “There is no indication here that there are any ritual killings involved or anything but a lot of speculations are going on. The police are active in their investigations. They will come back to us and let us know exactly what has transpired.”

He justified the ultimatum, saying that it was necessary following a series of reports after news of the discovery hit the Edo State capital.

The governor said that there have been different rumours as regards the true position of things, adding that it was only proper for the people to know the truth on time.

He said: “We don’t want to preempt the outcome of the police investigation but the police are actively carrying out investigations. There are lots of speculations making the rounds. Some people suspect that the place is a quack morgue where they preserve bodies.

“There are all kinds of speculations out there. So, we are going to leave that to the police to conclude their investigations and brief us on exactly what is going on there.

“Some people have been apprehended. They are undergoing questioning. Some people have been declared wanted. They will be apprehended and will contribute useful information. The governor has given the police seven days for them to come back with details of what they found out.”

He explained that the government has mandated the police to determine whether the building was a morgue and if there was any ritual involved and what is the true situation.

He added that no conclusion has been drawn yet, noting that the government will allow the police to do its job.

“They are acting on it. We are going to give them time to come back and brief us.

“We are going to continually brief the public about what is going on,” he said.

The governor lamented the health implications of the mummified bodies on
the citizens.

He assured: “We are also taking public health measures to ensure that there is no public health risk around the neighbourhood.

“Steps are being taken by the Edo State Ministry of Health and that is why we have the Permanent Secretary here.

“We have the Director of Public Health also here to ensure that there is no public health crisis resulting from this,” he said.

The head of the Criminal Investigative Department of Edo Police, Mr Olawore Oluwole disclosed that investigations are still ongoing to arrest the owner of the morgue, Mr Chukwu Otu.