Outrage in Edo over alleged organ harvesting at Benin mortuary

An alleged removal of vital organs from a corpse at a public mortuary in Benin, Edo State, has sparked outrage in the area.

The incident reportedly occurred on Friday at Akugbe Mortuary in the Upper Sakponba area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Benin metropolis.

It was gathered that angry relatives and friends of the deceased threatened to lynch a mortuary attendant and set the facility ablaze before police operatives intervened.

Confirming the incident, the State Police Command Public Relations Officer,  Eno Ikoedem, said a mortuary attendant was rescued from the mob and subsequently arrested over the alleged removal of organs from a corpse.

Ikoedem said the command received a distress call that a person at the mortuary was about to be lynched, prompting the immediate deployment of the Divisional Police Officer of the Ugbekun Division to the scene.

“The command received a distress call that someone at Akugbe Mortuary was about to be lynched, and the Divisional Police Officer, Ugbekun Division, was immediately mobilised to rescue a mortuary attendant alleged to have harvested organs from a corpse,” she said.

Ikoedem added that the suspect is currently in detention at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), while investigations are ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.

It was gathered that the yet-to-be-identified suspect was taken into custody after relatives of the deceased observed that some vital organs were allegedly missing when they arrived to collect the remains for burial.

An eyewitness, Osaro Ivie, said the situation became tense as family members accused the attendant of harvesting the organs for ritual purposes.

“The relatives claimed that the chest cavity of the deceased had been emptied and stuffed with nylon,” Ivie added.