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The police say the facility has been functioning as a dumping ground for mutilated bodies believed to be victims of organ trafficking.
The Imo State Police Command has uncovered an illegal mortuary in Umuechem Umuhu community, along the Owerri–Aba expressway, allegedly used for storing mutilated corpses linked to organ harvesting.
The Imo state Commissioner of Police, Danjuma Aboki, who led journalists and government officials to the facility, told journalists that the suspected operator, identified as Stanley “Morroco” Oparaugo, was on the run.
The morgue, identified as the Ugwudi Cottage Hospital and Mortuary Services, is located in the Umuechem Umuhu axis of the Owerri-Aba expressway in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area.
Acting on credible intelligence, the police said the facility had been functioning as a dumping ground for mutilated bodies believed to be victims of organ trafficking.
Upon entering the building, security operatives were confronted with a gruesome scene; hundreds of decomposing and dismembered bodies were stacked within the illegal morgue.
CP Aboki explained that the suspect had allegedly been operating a hotel situated in front of the facility as a cover for the illicit activities.
According to him, once the state government secures the necessary approvals and completes due process, the structure will be demolished.
During a further sweep of the premises, the police uncovered additional disturbing elements, including what appeared to be a personal shrine belonging to the suspect and a hideout reportedly used for kidnapping operations.
The police commissioner also said that Oparaugo had been declared Stanley wanted, and efforts intensified to apprehend him.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Chioma Egu, confirmed that the facility was not listed among licensed mortuaries in the state.
Egu said that the government had designated the site a public health hazard, warning that its continued existence posed a significant danger to residents.
The Owerri–Aba road has, in recent times, become a hotspot for kidnapping and other criminal activities.
Residents in the state and commuters hope that the latest discovery will help curb crime in the area as security operatives close in on the suspect behind the illegal mortuary.
