Nigerian authorities say they have uncovered a large organ-harvesting ring in Imo State following weeks of covert surveillance triggered by reports of kidnappings near a hotel and mortuary in Ngor Okpala. According to the Imo State Police Command, intelligence-led investigations identified High Chief Stanley Oparaugo, also known as “Morocco,” as the suspected leader of the network. Police said Oparaugo, who allegedly owns Jessy Best Hotel in Ihitte Okwe and the nearby Ugwudi mortuary, is now on the run. Victims were reportedly lured to the hotel, robbed, abducted and in some cases held for ransom, with some families never seeing their relatives again.
The Command said abducted victims were transported from the hotel to the mortuary, where they were allegedly killed and their organs removed for sale. When officers raided the hotel, it had been abandoned, but police spokesperson Henry Okoye said more than 100 decomposed and mutilated bodies were discovered at the mortuary. “A hotel and a private mortuary owned by the suspect, allegedly used by kidnappers and violent criminals, were inspected,” he said, adding that “decomposed and mutilated corpses were discovered in unhygienic conditions, raising suspicions of illegal organ-harvesting activities.” He said “crucial exhibits” were recovered from the suspect’s residence and that security has been reinforced along the Owerri–Aba Expressway.