Operatives of the Police Command in Oyo State have confirmed the arrest of 11 suspects in possession of nine dry human skulls, one fresh human head, intestines and other vital body parts.
The spokesperson of the command, SP Adewae Osifeso, disclosed this on Thursday in Ibadan, while briefing journalists.
Osifeso disclosed that 16 other suspects were also arrested in connection with alleged kidnapping and armed robbery.
He explained that discreet intelligence gathering carried out on February 22 by a police monitoring unit uncovered the criminal activities of the suspects.
He said the operatives cracked down on the suspected ritualists who specialised in selling human skulls and other organs for ritual purposes in their hideout at Orita-Aperin area of Ibadan.
The spokeperson said that the 11 members of the criminal gang had all confessed to the crime upon interrogations.
He said that 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 surprised 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.
