Lagos police arrest three Islamic clerics in the possession of human body parts used for rituals

DETECTIVES from the Lagos State Police Command have arrested three Islamic clerics and two other persons in possession of fresh human heart and body parts believed to be used for ritual sacrifices.

Parading them in Lagos yesterday, Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) of Police Lawal Shehu, alleged that the clerics were members of a syndicate that specialised in using human parts for rituals. He added that they were arrested around 9.45am on December 10 by the command's Zonal Intervention Squad (ZIS) operatives during a stop and search operation.

AIG Shehu said: “On December 10, at about 9.45am, information was received by the command that Alfa Mustapha and his cohorts, who specialised in exhuming bodies and removing their parts, were noticed around Isabo area of Abeokuta, Ogun State. Detectives from ZIS were detailed to investigate and four suspects were arrested, while exhibits of human flesh were recovered."

Also paraded alongside then were suspected fraudsters, Lawal Amoke, 40, Babatunde Adeyemi, 26, Oluwabunmi Okeowo, 45 and Monday Ogoade, 25, said to have swindled a businesswoman of N1.5m under the pretext of introducing her into the phone and accessory business. They were nabbed on November 27, after the victim’s husband, Iroha Onyekwere, discovered that the $3,500 he kept in their bedroom was missing.

Mr Onyekwere played along with the suspects when he suspected that his wife was being swindled and in the process got them arrested. Following investigations, the police said they were tracked to their hideout, a shrine, where fetish items and fake dollars were found.

“It was when I went through her phone that I got to know that my $3,500 that was missing was stolen by my wife, converted to naira and sent to the fraudster’s bank account. Then I played along with the fraudsters.

“Whenever they called my wife, I would pick their calls and that was how I became familiar with them. One day, I called the leader of the fraudsters who identified himself as an Islamic cleric asked me to meet him in Sango, Ogun State and when I met him, I told him to come to my house but he asked me to send money for transport, so I sent N6,000 to him.

“The cleric came to my house in company of two women and two men in a saloon car and for about three hours, the cleric chanted incantations. He said they would produce dollars for me and that was when I was convinced that they were fraudsters, who had been duping my wife," Mr Onyekwere added.

He said he then locked the gate and called in neighbours, who helped him to apprehend the fraudsters and hand them over to the police. AIG Shehu said the other suspects confessed to the crime during interrogation, claiming that it was the Islamic cleric who brought them into the deal.