Following the arrest of three suspects in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State on Tuesday, who were found with two fresh human hearts, the police have said they are searching for more suspects who have possibly specialised in harvesting human body parts for rituals in the state.
The arrested suspects – Nurudeen Adeniyi (34), Tunde Banjo (29), Temitope Alaba (20), and Tobi Olukoya (20), who are now in the custody of the Department of Criminal Investigation, Abeokuta, said they were simply contracted to supply the hearts.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Abimbola Oyeyemi, said investigation on the case at the moment, was directed at determining if there were other suspects, who specialise in the same crime – supplying human parts.
Oyeyemi, said, “The suspects we arrested are not denying it. In fact, it is now certain that they have done it several times before.
“We want to find out if there are more suspects out there and we want to find the families of the victims. If there are other members of their gang, we need to apprehend them.”
Saturday PUNCH learnt that one of the hearts recovered belonged to a 16-year-old girl from Ago-Iwoye, whom one of the suspects said was resisting his sexual advances.
Oyeyemi told our correspondent that they removed the girl’s breast and heart after they killed her.
The suspects said they hit her with a charm which made her unable to talk before dismembering her.
Adeniyi had told the police that he was the one who contracted Banjo to get the human hearts, which he needed for rituals.
The suspect, who sold cement and rice, claimed to also be an Islamic cleric.
The police said attempts are being made to trace the family of the victim, from whom the other heart came from.
Explaining how the suspects were arrested, Oyeyemi said the suspects had tried to kill a young lady who witnessed the killing of the 16-year-old girl.
“They lured the lady who witnessed what they did to the bush in order to silence her. They hacked her to death, or so they thought. Luckily for her, she did not die. She woke up in the bush and someone rescued her.
“It was through the information we got from the girl that we apprehended the suspects. The one who claimed to be the herbalist (Banjo), said they had brought three human hearts to him in the past. Definitely, they have been doing it.”
Oyeyemi said as soon as investigation was complete on the case, the suspects would be charged to court, but called on residents of the state, who might have missing relations to report to the police.
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