Islamic clerics, others arrested with human parts

Operatives attached to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Zone II, Onikan, Lagos have arrested five persons for allegedly being in possession of fresh human heart and body parts.

The suspects, including three Islamic clerics, were paraded yesterday by AIG Lawal Shehu.

He alleged that the clerics were members of a syndicate that specialised in using human parts for rituals.

Shehu said they were arrested around 9:45am on December 10 by Zonal Intervention Squad (ZIS) operatives on stop and search operation.

He said the detectives arrested an unnamed man with fresh human heart and investigation was on to establish where he got it.

“On December 10, 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. Four suspects were arrested, while exhibit of bunch of human flesh was recovered,” said the AIG.

Also paraded were suspected fraudsters, Lawal Amoke, 40, Babatunde Adeyemi, 26, Oluwabunmi Okeowo, 45 and Monday Ogoade, 25, said to have swindled a businesswoman of N1.5 million on the pretext of introducing her into phone and accessory business.

The suspects were nabbed on November 27, after the victim’s husband, Iroha Onyekwere, discovered that the $3500 he kept in their bedroom was missing.

It was gathered that Onyekwere played along with the suspects when he suspected that his wife was being swindled and in the process got them arrested.

The police said they were tracked to their hideout, a shrine, where fetish items and fake dollars were found.

Onyekwere said he noticed his wife was behaving strangely and money was missing in their home.

Because she was threatened not to disclose the deal to anyone, Onyekwere said his wife did not tell him what the problem was.

He said: “Fortunately, my wife had an accident. I checked the SMS on her phone and discovered what had transpired between her and the fraudsters.

“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. That was how I became familiar with them. One day, I called the leader of the fraudsters who identified himself as an Islamic cleric. He asked me to meet him in Sango, Ogun State.

“When I met him, I told him to come to my house, but he asked me to send money for transport. I sent N6,000 to him.

“I wanted the Islamic cleric to come to my house because of the magic they said they wanted to do for my wife. He then said before he could come, I had to send N15,000, which I immediately sent to the bank account he gave my wife.

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

“I locked the gate and door and called in neighbours, who helped me to apprehend the fraudsters and hand them over to the police.”

Mrs. Onyekwere said she was going somewhere when she came across the Islamic cleric, who promised to introduce her to phone and accessory business.

“I did not know when he introduced the money doubling aspect to it. I did not know what came over me when I was stealing my husband’s money. I gave the money to the fraudsters.”

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.

He said the suspects would be arraigned after investigation.