The Oyo State Police Command said it has detained an acclaimed Islamic cleric, Alfa Bashiru, who was arrested along the Toll Gate section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway with suspected human flesh.
The command disclosed this in a statement on its X handle on Wednesday night.
According to the statement, a police team who were on a routine stop-and-search along the expressway had intercepted a bus.
The statement noted that upon the search of the bus, they discovered that one of the occupants, identified as Alfa Bashiru, had an item suspected to be human flesh.
It read, “Earlier today, at approximately 11:30 hours, a team of Federal Highway Patrol Officers stationed along the Toll Gate, Ibadan Expressway, successfully executed a stop-and-search operation that resulted in a critical discovery.
“Officers stopped a white bus with registration number XA 551 IRG, which led to the discovery of suspected human flesh on one occupant, identified as Alfa Basiru.”
The statement noted that during interrogation, the suspect confessed that he had purchased the item in Lagos.
It added that the suspect and the exhibit have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.
“The suspect claimed to have purchased the item in Lagos, and he has since been transferred to the Homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Iyaganku for further inquiry.
“The suspected human flesh is currently undergoing forensic evaluation to ascertain its nature and origin,” it added.
While there have been growing debates about the authenticity of using human parts for rituals, the menace seems not to have an end in sight.
In October 2024, police officers in Lagos State arrested three suspects in connection with the possession of human parts, specifically suspected tongues.
The operatives from the Rapid Response Squad had intercepted the suspects identified as Isah Amohullahi and Abubakar Isah during a routine stop-and-search operation on the Otedola Bridge.
