Police in Edo State have taken a mortuary attendant into custody following allegations that he removed vital organs from a corpse at a public mortuary in the Upper Sakponba area of Benin City. The suspect was arrested at Akugbe Mortuary in Ikpoba‑Okha Local Government Area after angry relatives of the deceased raised the alarm upon discovering that some organs were missing from the body they had come to collect for burial.
Relatives reportedly found the chest cavity of the corpse emptied and stuffed with nylon, sparking outrage and prompting threats to lynch the attendant and set the facility ablaze. Police operatives intervened before the situation escalated further, rescuing the suspect from the mob and taking him into custody.
Confirming the arrest, the Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said officers received a distress call that a suspect was about to be attacked, prompting the immediate deployment of personnel from the Ugbekun Division. The attendant is currently held at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) as investigations continue to determine the full circumstances surrounding the allegations.
Police have urged the public to remain calm and avoid misinformation while assuring that a thorough investigation will be conducted and due legal process followed. The incident has reignited concerns about alleged organ harvesting practices, which have occasionally surfaced in connection with ritual and criminal activities in parts of the country, although formal verification of such networks remains challenging for law enforcement.
