Police arrest 10 suspected human part merchants in Oyo

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The Oyo State Police Command has arrested 10 suspected human parts dealers and recovered suspected human remains and charms from them.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed this in a statement issued to journalists on Saturday in Ibadan.

Ayanlade said the suspects were apprehended after months of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance by operatives of the Command’s monitoring unit.

“Following their arrest, operatives conducted searches of the suspects’ hideouts, during which several suspected human parts were recovered.

“The exhibits include one suspected human heart, human flesh, pieces of human skull and assorted charms,” he said.

Ayanlade said that the recovered items had been secured for forensic examination and further investigation.

He said that the suspects were currently assisting investigators in unraveling the circumstances surrounding the source, procurement and intended use of the recovered exhibits.

The command’s spokesman further said that efforts were ongoing to identify and arrest other members of the syndicate.

Ayanlade said that the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Abimbola Olugbenga, commended the operatives for their painstaking intelligence-led operation and professionalism.

He quoted the Commissioner of Police as assuring members of the public that the command remained resolute in its determination to rid the state of criminal elements and protect the sanctity of human life.

According to him, the suspects were arrested at different hideouts in Iseyin and Saki areas of the state.