The Imo State Government on Saturday shut down a hotel and a private mortuary in Umuhu Autonomous Community, Ngor-Okpala, after officials uncovered decomposed and mutilated bodies kept in highly unhygienic conditions, sparking fears of illegal organ-harvesting activities.
According to a statement issued on Saturday and shared on X.com on Sunday by the Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Okoye Henry, the operation was part of an ongoing crackdown on kidnapping and violent crimes along the Owerri–Aba Expressway. The effort is being led by the Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, in collaboration with other security agencies.
Henry noted that the raid followed credible intelligence on a wanted suspect, Stanley Morocco Oparaugo, who is still on the run. He revealed that security operatives inspected a hotel and a private mortuary allegedly owned by Oparaugo and said to be used by kidnappers and other criminals.
“At the mortuary, officers discovered decomposed and mutilated corpses stored in unhygienic conditions, raising strong suspicions of illegal organ-harvesting activities,” Henry stated.
Following the findings, the state government directed that both the hotel and the mortuary be immediately sealed. A search of the suspect’s residence was also conducted, and key exhibits were recovered.
The police assured the public that all those connected to the crime would be identified and brought to justice.
“Stanley Morocco Oparaugo has been declared wanted. Anyone with useful information should report to the nearest police station,” the statement read, adding that maximum security has now been deployed along the Owerri–Aba Expressway ahead of the holiday season.
Meanwhile, the development comes amid renewed calls for an investigation into alleged abuses by the Imo State Police Command’s anti-kidnapping unit, popularly known as Tiger Base. Nigerians have urged the Inspector-General of Police, the Police Service Commission, and human rights groups to probe reports of unlawful detentions, torture, and extrajudicial killings.
These calls intensified following the case of Levi Opara, a 46-year-old businessman and father of five, who died under controversial circumstances while in the custody of the Tiger Base Unit. Opara, from Emekuku in Owerri North LGA, was arrested on October 15, 2023, after a domestic dispute with his wife. Despite efforts by his family to secure his release, he was found dead three days later, with conflicting accounts about what happened to him before his death.
