The Edo State Government has demolished a residential duplex allegedly linked to kidnapping and organ harvesting in Benin City.
DAILY POST reports that the Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor, Fred Itua, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin on Tuesday.
He said the demolished property was the site of a gruesome crime involving the abduction and killing of a young woman for organ harvesting.
He stated that the suspect had been arrested in Lagos and would be extradited to Edo State to face prosecution.
According to him, the building where the crime was committed is owned by the father of the suspected kidnapper and organ harvester, who has also made useful statements.
“His Excellency has directed that this is only the beginning. More buildings used for criminal activities will be demolished. This is backed by existing laws enacted by the present administration.”
“This is not a political witch-hunt. These buildings were used for acts that contravene the laws of Edo State. The Governor has made it clear that anyone involved in cultism or related crimes will face the full force of the law,” he added.
Itua added that the father of the suspect and owner of the demolished building, Mr Martins Oghenewore, recounted the shocking moment he learnt of the crime.
“On the 23rd of this month, while returning home, my wife called to inform me that our son had murdered a woman in his quarters. I immediately reported to the police, who followed me home and helped convey the corpse to the mortuary. I’ve been in police custody since then.
“My 28-year-old son had long exhibited troubling behaviour. I trained him from primary school through university in Ekpoma. For over a decade, he has been a problem. I took him to rehab, neuropsychiatric centres, and even traditional healers.
“He rarely slept at home, drank excessively, and was often missing. Now he has destroyed everything I worked for. This house was my retirement plan, and now I’m watching it being torn down. It’s heartbreaking,” Oghenewore lamented.
The Chief Press Secretary further alleged that the authorities confirmed the suspect was apprehended in Lagos with human body parts recovered from him.
He explained that investigations are ongoing as the government intensifies efforts to stamp out kidnapping and cultism across the state.
Meanwhile, Itua disclosed that the Externo Hotel, owned by Hon Mathew Iduoriyekemwen, the campaign Director-General to Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party candidate during the 21 September 2024 governorship election, was sealed off because the facility was being used by cult groups.
Itua affirmed that Governor Okpebholo said the hotel and the demolished property were being used by cult groups as gathering points before launching attacks that claimed several lives.
