Horrified police find 20 mummified bodies of men, women and children in ‘ritual shrine’ in Nigeria

Twenty mummified bodies of men, women and children have been found at an apparent ritual shrine in southern Nigeria, police said.

Three suspects were arrested during the raid in Benin City, police spokeswoman Jennifer Iwegbu said yesterday.

Armed police officers raided the building in the capital of Edo state, acting on intelligence that it was a ‘suspected ritual shrine’, she added.

‘Fifteen mummified male corpses, three mummified female corpses and two mummified children corpses were discovered at the scene’ just three miles from the city centre, Ms Iwegbu said.

Another ritual shrine is pictured in Osogbo, Osun state, Nigeria last week 

Nigeria’s security forces have uncovered such shrines used by ritualists and kidnappers in the past.

But the latest discovery is one of the most shocking in Nigeria in recent years, in light of the sheer number of victims.

Many residents arriving at the building expressed shock at what seemed to have been an operation hidden from the eyes of even nearby neighbours.

It is not immediately clear how long the bodies had been in the building and the suspects were being interrogated, the police said.

All three suspects were young males and a police medical team was part of the investigations, Ms Iwegbu added.

‘An intensive effort is ongoing to arrest the other fleeing suspects,’ she said.