The Oyo State Police Command has arrested 10 suspected dealers in human parts and recovered suspected human body parts and assorted charms from their hideouts in Iseyin and Saki areas of the state.
The arrests followed several months of sustained intelligence gathering and discreet surveillance carried out by operatives of the command’s monitoring unit.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Saturday in Ibadan.
According to Ayanlade, the 10 suspects were apprehended at separate locations in Iseyin and Saki, after which police operatives conducted searches of their hideouts.
The searches, he said, led to the recovery of several items suspected to be human parts.
Among the recovered exhibits were one suspected human heart, human flesh, pieces of human skull and assorted charms.
Ayanlade said the recovered items had been secured and would undergo forensic examination as part of efforts to establish their identities and relevance to the investigation.
He added that the suspects were currently assisting investigators in establishing the source and procurement of the recovered exhibits, as well as determining their intended use.
The police spokesperson further disclosed that investigations were ongoing, with the command making efforts to identify and arrest other members of the alleged syndicate.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abimbola Olugbenga, commended the operatives for what he described as a painstaking intelligence-led operation and for their professionalism in carrying out the arrests.
According to Ayanlade, the commissioner assured residents that the command remained committed to tackling criminal activities across the state and protecting the sanctity of human life.
The police said the investigation would continue to unravel the circumstances surrounding the possession, procurement and intended use of the suspected human parts recovered from the suspects.
