Ibadan forest of horror

Last updated

The Ibadan forest of horror, also known as the Ibadan house of horror or Soka, was a dilapidated building believed to have been used for human trafficking and ritual sacrifice located in Soka forest in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. [1] The building was discovered on March 22, 2014, by a group of motorcycle taxi drivers, who had formed an impromptu search party after the disappearance of a driver in the area. [2]

Twenty-three survivors were rescued from the building, while numerous body parts, decomposing bodies and personal effects of victims were found in the surrounding area. [3] The activities that occurred in the forest are believed to have been coordinated by unknown kidnappers and ritualists in the state who are often supported by some affluent Nigerians and politicians who use human flesh for rituals. [4]

The buildings on the site have since been demolished and it has been redeveloped into Oyo State Comprehensive Model School, a secondary school. [5]

Reactions

The discovery of the forest of horror generated controversy throughout Nigeria. [6] There was a concern on the link between the management (kidnappers and ritualist) of the horror forest and some top government officials and notable politicians in the state but there seems to be no clear evidence to establish that fact. [7] There was a claim by the youth in the area that the Oyo State Police command refused to investigate the forest despite several kidnapping cases reported in the state. [8] Some of the survivors rescued from the den claimed that the ritualist kidnapped victims by claiming to be the officials of the urban renewal initiative coordinated by the Oyo State government. [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibadan</span> Capital city of Oyo State, Nigeria

Ibadan is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 2,649,000 as of 2021, and over 3 million people within its metropolitan area. It is one of the country's largest cities by geographical area. At the time of Nigeria's independence in 1960, Ibadan was the largest and most populous city in the country, and the second-most populous in Africa behind Cairo. Ibadan is ranked one of the fastest-growing cities in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the UN Human Settlements Program (2022). It is also ranked third in West Africa in the tech startups index. Ibadan joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osun State</span> State of Nigeria

Osun State, occasionally known as the State of Osun by the state government, is a state in southwestern Nigeria; bounded to the east by Ekiti and Ondo states for 84 km and for 78 km respectively, to the north by Kwara State for 73 km, to the south by Ogun State for 84 km and to the west by Oyo State, mostly across the River Osun. Named for the River Osun—a vital river which flows through the state—the state was formed from the southeast of Oyo State on 27 August 1991 and has its capital as the city of Osogbo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oyo State</span> State of Nigeria

Oyo State is a landlocked state in southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo State is bordered to the north by Kwara State for 337 km, to the southeast by Osun State for 187 km, partly across the River Osun, and to the south by Ogun State, and to the west by the Republic of Benin for 98 km. With a projected population of 7,976,100 in 2022, Oyo State is the sixth most populous in the Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Ibadan</span> Public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria

The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was once a college of the University of London. The college was established in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 1962 and is the oldest degree-awarding institution in Nigeria. Through its graduate network, the University of Ibadan has contributed to the political, industrial, economic and cultural development of Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladoke Akintola University of Technology</span> Public university in Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) is a tertiary institution located in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria. The university enrolls over 30,000 students and employs more than 3,000 workers including contract staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abeokuta</span> Capital city of Ogun State, Nigeria

Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; 77 kilometres (48 mi) north of Lagos by railway, or 130 kilometres (81 mi) by water. As of 2006, Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 449,088.

Chinyere Ike Nwosu was a Nigerian Military Administrator of Abia State and then of Oyo State during the military regime of General Sani Abacha.

Abdulkareem Adisa was a Nigerian major general who was military governor of Oyo State during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. He was convicted for involvement in an attempted coup against military head of state General Sani Abacha in 1997, and was on death row when Abacha died in June 1998. He was subsequently pardoned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monsurat Sunmonu</span> Nigerian politician (born 1959)

Monsurat Olajumoke Sunmonu is a Nigerian politician who served as a senator representing Oyo Central senatorial District between 2015 and 2019. She represented Oyo Central Senatorial District, having won the election held on 28 March 2015. She chaired the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. Prior to becoming a senator, she was the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Nigeria. While in the House of Assembly, she was the member representing Oyo East and Oyo West Local Governments. She became the first female Speaker in the history of Oyo State on 10 June 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olufemi Lanlehin</span> Nigerian lawyer and politician

Solagbade Olufemi Lanlehin is a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He represented the Oyo South Senatorial district in the 7th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He contested for the seat of Governor of Oyo state in the 2019 Oyo State gubernatorial election under the African Democratic Congress

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seyi Makinde</span> Nigerian politician and engineer (born 1967)

Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde is a Nigerian engineer, businessman and politician who has served as governor of Oyo State since 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Polytechnic, Ibadan</span> Polytechnic in Ibadan, Nigeria

The Polytechnic, Ibadan is an institution of higher learning in Ibadan in Oyo State, Nigeria. Founded on August 1970, Poly Ibadan is similar to other polytechnics in Nigeria. The institution was founded to offer an alternative form of higher education, with a specific focus on acquiring technical skills distinct from traditional universities.. The vocational and skills acquisition center aims to guarantee that students acquire mastery in a skill before graduating, while also offering skills training to the local community.Poly Ibadan is also well known for its unique slogan written in Yoruba language as Ise loogun ise which means 'Work is the antidote for poverty', a classical Yoruba adage which stresses that hard work is the way out of poverty.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lagos–Ibadan Expressway</span> Expressway in Nigeria

The Lagos–Ibadan Expressway is a 127.6-kilometre-long (79.3 mi) expressway connecting Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State and Lagos, Nigeria's largest city. It is also the major route to the northern, southern and eastern parts of Nigeria. The expressway is the oldest in Nigeria, commissioned in August 1978 during the Military era, under the administration of Lieutenant-General Olusegun Obasanjo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercy Aigbe</span> Nigerian actress, director and businesswoman (born 1978)

Mercy Aigbe Hajiah Amminah is a Nigerian actress, director, fashionista and businesswoman. She is best known for her Yoruba indigenous movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen's School, Ibadan</span> Secondary school in Nigeria

Queen's School, Ibadan is an all-girls secondary school located in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, South-Western Nigeria.

Tunji Olaopa, is a Nigerian political scientist and public administrator. He is the Executive Vice Chairman of Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, Bodija, Ibadan and a professor of Public Policy at the Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Tolulope Akande-Sadipe is a Nigerian politician from Oyo State, Nigeria. She represents Oluyole Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and is the only female Federal lawmaker from Oyo State. She is the chairman of the House Committee on Diaspora.

The 1996 Otokoto Riots were a series of spontaneous protests and looting in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria over two days in September. The immediate trigger for the civil unrest was the revelation of the kidnapping and brutal murder of 11-year-old schoolboy boy Anthony Ikechukwu Okoronkwo, but had deeper roots in the corruption and inequality prevalent at the time. The subsequent arrest of hotelier Vincent Duru and other members of the Black Scorpion gang led to a court trial lasting over a decade. Duru and other Black Scorpion members were eventually sentenced to death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Oyo State gubernatorial election</span> 2023 gubernatorial election in Oyo State, Nigeria

The 2023 Oyo State gubernatorial election will take place on 18 March 2023, to elect the Governor of Oyo State, concurrent with elections to the Oyo State House of Assembly as well as twenty-seven other gubernatorial elections and elections to all other state houses of assembly. The election—which was postponed from its original 11 March date—will be held three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections. Incumbent PDP Governor Seyi Makinde was re-elected, winning by a % margin of victory over first runner-up and APC nominee—Senator Teslim Folarin.

References

  1. "Nigerian 'House of Horror' riot in Ibadan". BBC News. 24 March 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  2. "Anxiety grows over fate of Okada rider who exposed Ibadan horror". The Nation. 29 March 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  3. "Forest of horror that throws Ibadan into confusion". New Telegraph. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  4. "Forest of horror that throws Ibadan into confusion". New Telegraph. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  5. "Soka kidnappers' den turns college but its past haunts residents, hampers enrolment". Punch. 25 March 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  6. "Soka Forest of Horror in Ibadan - More Victims Might Be Underneath". Nigerian bulletin. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  7. "That forest of horror in Ibadan". Daily Independent. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  8. "Man caught with 3 human tongues in Ibadan". The Sun News. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  9. "True face horror Ibadan bow knife expose herdsmen suspect". Vanguard News. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  10. "Nigeria: Police probe Ibadan 'house of horror'". BBC News. 23 March 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2015.