By Bode Akinbode
The Oyo State Police Command has apprehended three suspects, including a pastor and an Islamic cleric, for the unlawful possession and sale of suspected human parts in Ibadan.
The arrests were made following a routine stop-and-search operation conducted by a police patrol team in the metropolis.
According to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, officers intercepted an unregistered Bajaj Boxer motorcycle in the Adekile area of Agugu.
A search of the pillion rider, identified as Oyategbe Joseph, led to the discovery of a package containing flesh suspected to be human intestines. Upon immediate interrogation, Joseph confessed to sourcing the human parts from an unidentified individual in the Oritaperin area.
Further investigations revealed a chilling commercial chain, with Joseph admitting to selling the human parts to two buyers: 46-year-old Alfa Onaolapo Taiwo and 55-year-old Pastor Ayodele Taiwo.
Acting swiftly on this intelligence, police operatives tracked down and arrested both men. During questioning, the two suspects confessed to purchasing the parts from Joseph.
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Femi Haruna, has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for in-depth investigation and prosecution.
In a separate development, the Command confirmed the successful rescue of a male hostage in Oyo town.
The victim was abducted when armed hoodlums invaded a local community, making off with mobile phones and two motorcycles.
DSP Ayanlade noted that the rescue was executed by operatives from the Ojongbodu Division in a coordinated joint operation with the Amotekun Corps, local vigilantes, and hunters.
The police are currently trailing the fleeing suspects and have urged the public to provide credible, timely information to aid the ongoing fight against crime.