The Oyo State Police Command has announced the arrest of 10 suspected merchants of human parts during coordinated raids across the state.

Recovered from the suspect include a suspected human heart, skull fragments, and various charms, the Command has said, adding the suspects were apprehended following months of sustained intelligence gathering and covert surveillance conducted by operatives of the command’s Monitoring Unit.

In a statement issued on Saturday in Ibadan, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, revealed that the arrests were carried out at criminal hideouts in the Iseyin and Saki areas of Oyo State.

Search operations executed at the suspects' hideouts yielded several human remains alongside paraphernalia used for ritualistic purposes

The statement partly read: "Following their arrest, operatives conducted searches of the suspects’ hideouts, during which several suspected human parts were recovered.

"The exhibits include one suspected human heart, human flesh, pieces of human skull and assorted charms."

The police spokesperson noted that all recovered human remains have been secured and transferred for forensic analysis to aid ongoing investigations.

According to the police command, the 10 suspects are currently undergoing interrogation to assist investigators in identifying their supply chains, procurement methods, and the intended buyers of the human organs. Operatives are also tracking other fleeing members of the syndicate.

Following the operation, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abimbola Olugbenga, commended the monitoring unit for their intelligence-led approach and professional execution.

Olugbenga assured residents that the command remains steadfast in its resolve to dismantle ritual rings, hunt down criminal networks, and uphold the sanctity of human life across Oyo State.