Operatives of the Oyo State Security Network, code named Amotekun, have arrested a suspected human parts merchant, for allegedly dealing in parts of human beings for ritual purposes.
The 40-year-old, Mutiu Abdul-Rasheed who reportedly hails from Ede, Osun State, was caught and paraded with fresh human hands and dismembered body parts which were paraded as exhibits recovered from him.
Abdul-Rasheed said he belonged to a syndicate that has been involved in getting fresh human parts for some people, revealing that their mode of operation involves exhuming dead bodies of people that they knew their names and parents’ names before their demise.
He stated: “We only exhume bodies that are known to us because we must know the dead person when he or she was alive. We must also know his or her name as well as the mother’s name. Knowing the mother’s name of the dead person that we want to sell the body parts attracts extra cost from those that buy the human parts from us.”
Other members of the gang were said to be at large, as the suspect disclosed that the team had been operating in the Lagelu area of Ibadan suburb before he was nabbed.
The Commandant of Amotekun Corps in the state, Colonel Olayinka Olayanju (retd), told journalists that the suspect was investigated for some months before he was nabbed.
Olayanju noted that calls had been coming in with individuals mounting pressure for the suspect to be released but he did not mention the name of any individual who had been pressurising the security outfit to release the suspect.
He also did not give any indication whether or not the people calling for the suspect’s release are private citizens or those holding public offices, despite requests from reporters.
Items recovered from the suspect included guns, charms, decaying body parts, a motorcycle and a car.
Colonel Olayanju gave assurance that the suspect would be handed over to the police for further investigation.
Lateefah Ibrahim
