Chris Mba, Owerri
In what residents have described as a chilling reenactment of the infamous Otokoto saga of the 1990s, the Imo State Police Command has uncovered a suspected organ-harvesting den disguised as a private morgue in the outskirts of the state capital.
The discovery has sent shockwaves across communities and reignited concerns over rising cases of missing persons across the state.
According to police sources, the illegal facility—located in a secluded compound—was raided following intelligence reports and weeks of surveillance. Officers were met with a gruesome scene: mutilated and dismembered corpses, some missing vital organs, stored in conditions far below regulatory standards.
Within the vicinity, detectives also found a shrine believed to be used for ritual practices, fuelling suspicions of a broader criminal network involving ritual killings and organ trafficking.
The owner of the morgue, identified only as the chief operator of the facility, is currently on the run, prompting an intensified manhunt by security agencies. Police say preliminary findings suggest that the activities in the morgue may have been ongoing for years, and there are fears that more such illegal operations may still be active in other parts of the state.
Residents from neighbouring communities expressed fear and anger, stating that the discovery explains the disturbing rise in unresolved disappearances, especially of young men and women.
Civil society groups have also called for a full-scale investigation, insisting that the state government and security agencies must “treat this with the urgency of a public health and national security concern.”
The Imo State Police Command, that later supervised the demolition of the illegal mortuary, has assured the public of a thorough investigation, urging citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities, especially around private mortuaries, unlicensed medical facilities, and remote compounds.
Authorities also appealed for calm, noting that forensic teams are currently working to identify the recovered bodies and track possible accomplices.
As the investigation deepens, many residents fear what more may be uncovered. The echoes of the past—particularly the terrifying memory of the Otokoto ritual killings—have resurfaced, raising questions about how deeply entrenched such criminal practices may still be in parts of the state.
For now, Imo State remains on edge as security forces work to unravel what appears to be another dark chapter in the region’s struggle against ritual crimes and clandestine organ harvesting.
