Sefiu Eleledu village, located off Lagos/Ibadan expressway, is predominately known for manufacturing. But behind this trait are criminal activities perpetrated by some individuals, which, until recently, was, unknown to the villagers. Thus, the villagers were shocked when, on Monday, mobile and conventional policemen, acting on a tip off, stormed the village.
Most of the villagers reportedly ran to hide inside their apartments, from where they started calling members o f their families to remain wherever they were until the policemen left.
Stationing themselves in strategic locations, some of the policemen reportedly went inside the bush , where they discovered a shrine . At the sight of the policemen, some persons in the shrine took to their heels . But one of them was caught.
Thereafter, the activities of the suspect arrested and his colleagues unfolded. Unconfirmed report said the shrine was used for ritual purpose where strangers were slaughtered for money ritual.

...the said 'men of God’s shrine’
But Ogun State Police Command confirmed that the shrine was used to dupe gullible persons. For instance, the suspect and his accomplices, as gathered, sometimes posed as men of God and, at other times, as traditional seers. Their modus oparadi allegedly included revealing to their victims “all that concerned them” through spiritual insight. At that point, they would take their victims to the shrine where they would make them swear to oath of secrecy before telling them to bring some amount of money to cleanse the victims from evil contamination.
Report also had it that when a gullible client reached the shrine, a croaky voice, which the client would be made to believe was that of an unforeseen being capable of revealing all the client needed to know, would be heard. But, unknown to the client, the voice would be that of one of the suspects hiding behind the mat, close to a carved image.
At other times, their victims would be manipulated through fetish means and, thereafter, asked to go get money for spiritual bath. They also usually boasted to their victims of their ability to make them rich and elevate their financial and social status but on the grounds that they must bring an undisclosed amount to pray with. Also, they were reportedly in the habit of demanding money from their clients which they claimed would be used for fasting and also enhance their spiritual insight into the clients problems.
Ascribing the feat to the command’s resolve to rid Ogun State of criminals elements, its spokesman, Mr Olumuyiwa Adejobi, recalled that a similar raid at Ogijo area of the state also led to the discovery of a shrine used for rituals. The suspect in the latest incident, identified simply as Paul , according to Olumuyiwa, would be charged to court soon. The spokesman advised members of the public to be wary of those they transact business with and also shun any attempt to lure them into believing they could make quick money.
