An intricate organ trafficking operation has been exposed in Nigeria following weeks of undercover investigations, according to local authorities.
The Imo State Police Command announced via X that they initiated their probe in response to alarming reports of a surge in kidnappings around a hotel and mortuary in the Ngor Okpala area.
Through intelligence-driven efforts, police identified a man known as High Chief Stanley Oparaugo, also referred to as “Morocco,” as the alleged mastermind behind the illicit network. He is currently at large and wanted by law enforcement.
Oparaugo, believed to be associated with the Jessy Best Hotel, is alleged to own both the hotel in Ihitte Okwe and a nearby mortuary called Ugwudi.
Authorities have reported that victims were enticed into the hotel, subsequently robbed and kidnapped. Their families were then coerced into paying ransom for their release.
Police said victims were said to have been lured into the hotel before being robbed and abducted, with families also forced to pay ransom.
Authorities said some people who paid never saw their loved ones again.
The Command said abducted victims were then taken from the hotel to the mortuary, where they were allegedly killed and their organs harvested for sale.
Local Nigerian officials said a suspected secret organ-harvesting ring has been uncovered in Nigera following weeks of covert surveillance. (Imo State Command.)
When officers raided the Jessy Best Hotel, it was abandoned, but at the mortuary they found decomposed and mutilated corpses.
Police spokesperson Henry Okoye said more than 100 bodies had been found.
“A hotel and a private mortuary owned by the suspect, allegedly used by kidnappers and violent criminals, were inspected,” he said in a statement.
Victims were allegedly lured to hotel before being killed at nearby mortuary for organ sales.
“At the mortuary, decomposed and mutilated corpses were discovered in unhygienic conditions, raising suspicions of illegal organ-harvesting activities.”
He added that the suspect’s residence was also searched and “crucial exhibits” were recovered, with forensic teams documenting evidence for the ongoing investigation.
“Maximum security has been deployed along the Owerri–Aba Expressway. The Command assures travelers during the holidays of its commitment to their safety,” he added.
Nigeria has seen a rising amount of crime with kidnappings and abductions.
As reported by Fox News Digital, the government of Nigeria also secured the release of the 100 schoolchildren who were abducted, according to local media.
Those children were taken from St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger state, on Nov. 21.
The news came as Christians face ongoing persecution in Nigeria, leading President Donald Trump to declare the West African nation a “country of particular concern.”
