The Oyo State Police Command says it has arrested a 45-year-old Islamic cleric over alleged possession of fresh human parts.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Adewale Osifeso, disclosed this at the command’s headquarters in Ibadan on Friday.

He said police detectives arrested the suspect at about 10:00 a.m. on November 6 in the Ogbere-Tioya Area, Ibadan.

Mr Osifeso alleged that the arrest was made possible following credible intelligence reports from members of the public.

“The dragnet of the command caught up with the cleric after purposeful investigations and tracking around Ogbere-tioya Area, Ibadan, under Ona-ara Local Government Area.

“The suspect was found in possession of items suspected to be fresh human head and two hands, which he said were given to him by one Tijani Waheed, now at large,” Mr Osifeso said.

Speaking with journalists, the cleric said the fresh human head and two hands found in his possession were for ritual purposes.

“I have one wife and two children, and things are very hard for me in taking good care of them,” said the cleric.

The suspect said he discussed his economic state with an Islamic cleric whom he met at a programme. The suspect claimed the Islamic cleric promised to help him get human parts for rituals.

“I told him that I don’t know how to get the human parts, and he promised to get it for me.

“He later brought the human parts to me at Amuloko, where we met early in the morning, and I kept it in my office where I attend to people seeking spiritual assistance.

“The police came to search my office on the day Waheed gave me the fresh head and two hands,” he said.

The suspect said the person who gave him the human parts was now at large.

In another development, the police also paraded seven suspected cultists, one murder suspect and a motorcycle snatcher.

The suspected Islamic ritualist would make it the second ritual-related case in the last two weeks in the state.

Police personnel on patrol had, on October 16, arrested three Islamic clerics around Agbarigo Junction, Ibadan, for alleged possession of human parts.

Similarly, the PRO said the command’s operatives arrested eight other suspected criminals for their alleged involvement in cultism and murder.

He said some of the recovered items included an improvised gun, an axe, 17 wraps of loud drugs, laptop and cell phones.

(NAN)