Eleven suspects have been arrested with nine dry human skulls, one fresh human head, intestines and other vital body parts in their hideout at Orita-Aperin area of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The suspects, said to be engaged in sale of human parts were among the suspects paraded in connection with alleged kidnapping, armed robbery and other crimes by the Oyo State Police Command on Thursday.
Spokesperson for the command, Adewae Osifeso, said the criminal activities of the suspects were uncovered through discreet intelligence gathering by operatives of the command on Feb. 22.
According to him, the 11 suspects who specialised in selling human skulls and other organs for ritual purposes confessed to the crime upon interrogations.
According to him, the suspects confessed that the dry human skulls were harvested from corpses at burial grounds.
He said they also confessed that the fresh human head and other body organs were harvested from persons after being killed by their kingpin, simply identified as Amuludun who is now at large.
Osifeso said that investigation was now in progress to arrest the fleeing suspects, adding that further developments would be communicated to the public later.
Meanwhile one of the suspects and wife of the principal suspect now at large, said she knew her husband as an Islamic cleric and was suprised when the human skulls were found in his office.
She said that she went to her husband’s office to collect money for foodstuffs when the police came and searched the office where the skulls were found.
The command’s spokesman also said that seven suspected armed robbers who invaded Felele community, Ibadan with guns and some other dangerous weapons were arrested.
Osifeso said the victims raised alarm when the armed robbers were fleeing, adding that the alarm attracted a police monitoring unit who arrested the suspects.