The victims were made up of 191 males, 34 females, 11 children, and 23 sick persons.
It was gathered that the victims had been in chains for between two and 10 years.
The police arrested nine suspects during the raid, including the owner of the centre.
Punch Metro findings showed that many such centres had been in existence in the city for several years, with clerics using them as corrective homes for recalcitrant persons.
The state Commissioner of Police, Shina Olukolu, who led the police team to the centre, said a 17-year-old escapee from a holding facility in another part of Ibadan hinted the command about the existence of the centre.
The commissioner stated that the escapee mentioned the Oloore mosque in Ojoo as another facility used for holding the victims against their will.
According to him, on arrival at the mosque, the victims recounted their harrowing experience, stating that some of them had been held hostage for up to 10 years.
Anyone, who is found culpable, will definitely be arrested, investigated and prosecuted diligently to serve as a warning to others, who may want to operate such houses that serve as illegal detention centres.”
Tags:
Ibadan