Organ-harvesting operation in hotel and mortuary shut down after more than 100 bodies were discovered

Authorities have stumbled upon a disturbing scene after more than 100 decomposing corpses were discovered in what is believed to have been an illegal organ-harvesting operation in Nigeria.

Police are trying to track down a suspect after the grim discovery was made inside properties belonging to the individual in the Ngor-Okpala district in Imo state. The properties in question were a hotel and mortuary belonging to the suspect which authorities believe were “allegedly used by kidnappers and violent criminals,” as per the Daily Mail.

In a statement, Imo police spokesperson Henry Okoye claimed that authorities had searched the properties and found “decomposed and mutilated corpses,” which had apparently been stored “in unhygienic conditions, raising suspicions of illegal organ-harvesting activities.”

It’s believed that victims were kidnapped and then murdered so that criminals could remove their organs and sell them.

The hunt for the suspect

Naturally, the hotel and private mortuary were sealed off by authorities while they actively investigate the matter but so far there has been little news with regards to the suspect. The individual has been declared “wanted” and is being tracked by authorities with the Commissioner of Police assuring the public that “all accomplices would be identified and brought to justice.”

The suspect’s residence was thoroughly searched by officers “and crucial exhibits were recovered.” Okoye did not elaborate on exactly what kind of evidence was discovered at the property but hopefully it helps the authorities track down the people responsible for this supposed slaughterhouse sooner rather than later.

Okoye added that an investigation into suspected organ-harvesting has since begun.

Crime in Nigeria is on the rise

This disturbing development is yet another case in a growing wave of horrific crimes that seem to be happening more and more frequently in Nigeria. According to the Daily Mail, kidnapping gangs in the country have since expanded into ritual killings and organ-harvesting rings.

Just last month gunmen attacked the Maga Comprehensive Girls’ Secondary School, killing the deputy head teacher and abducting dozens of students. It was confirmed that the kidnappers had abducted 25 girls from the school and a search and recuse operation was launched to save the students. The case echoed the Boko Haram kidnappings from 2014.

While the country’s government may be doing all it can to counter the growing threat of gangs in Nigeria it’s clear that more action needs to be taken. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has contacted France to help in dealing with the surge in violence in the north of the country. This comes weeks after the U.S. threatened to intervene to save the Christians in Nigeria.