A couple, Taiwo and Salawa Ajalorun, and six others have been arrested by men of the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly selling human parts.
The suspects, who allegedly killed three persons before they were arrested, reportedly sold human legs for N30,000, and a heart for N50,000 to their buyers, who used them for money rituals.
In a statement on Thursday, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Superintendent of Police Abimbola Oyeyemi, said that the couple and six others — Lukman Oladele, Kayode Ibrahim, Bello Akeem, Alebiosu Adebayo, Fatai Rasheed, and Fatai Jimoh — were arrested on Wednesday.
He explained that they were arrested for kidnapping, killing, and dismembering a 26-year-old mother of two, Oyindamola Adeyemi.
He said: “The suspects were apprehended following a report lodged at the Obalende divisional headquarters, Ijebu-Ode, by one Omolara Ojo”.
According to Oyeyemi, Ojo reported that her neighbour, Oyindamola Adeyemi, left home on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, but did not return and her phone was switched off.
He further said: “Since it was not 24 hours, she was advised to come back.
“But the following day, 29th December 2022, while a patrol team from the Obalende division was on a routine patrol, the dismembered body of a lady was discovered by the roadside and the body was taken to a mortuary.
“Fortunately, the mortuary is a stone’s throw from the house of the deceased and one of the mortuary workers, who knew about the missing person, called the deceased’s family to come and have a look at the body brought by the police.
“On getting there, the deceased’s friend, Omolara Ojo, was able to identify it through the bra and underwear she put on since her head was already chopped off.
“Having recognized the body, the DPO, Obalende division, SP Murphy Salami, mobilized his crack detectives and embarked on a technical and intelligence-based investigation, which led them to Taiwo Olutufese Ajalorun, a herbalist, in whose possession the deceased’s Itel phone was recovered.
“He was promptly arrested, and a search warrant was duly executed in his house, where a container full of human blood later discovered to be that of the deceased, was recovered.
“His arrest led to the apprehension of his friend, Lukman Oladele, in whose house the legs of the deceased were also recovered”.
The Police spokesman added that during interrogation, the duo mentioned the buyers of the human parts of their victims, who were promptly arrested.
He said the herbalist, with the support of his friend, lured the deceased to his house, being his (friend’s) lover, and as soon as she entered, she was pinned down by both of them and strangled.
Oyeyemi said the suspects confessed that “after killing her, they cut off the head, legs and the two hands, which they sold to their standby buyers to be used for money rituals.
“According to them, the legs of the deceased were sold at the rate of N30,000, while the heart was sold for N50,000 to Akeem Bello, while the person who bought the head is still at large.
“The suspects confessed further that the victim was the third person they had killed in such a gruesome manner”.
He said the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation and diligent prosecution.
