A mortuary attendant in the Upper Sakponba area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Edo State, has been arrested by police following allegations that vital organs were removed from a body at Akugbe Mortuary.

According to reports obtained, the discovery sparked outrage among the deceased’s relatives, who accused the attendant of harvesting organs from the corpse.

The incident reportedly occurred on Friday when family members arrived at the mortuary to collect the body for burial and allegedly noticed that some organs were missing.

An eyewitness, Osaro Ivie, described the scene as chaotic, saying tensions escalated after relatives accused the attendant of engaging in ritual practices.

“The relatives claimed that the chest cavity of the deceased had been emptied and stuffed with nylon,” Ivie said.

He added that the crowd threatened to lynch the attendant and set the mortuary ablaze before police intervened to restore order.

Confirming the incident on Sunday, the Police Public Relations Officer in Edo, ASP Eno Ikoedem, stated that the command received a distress call about a mob attempting to attack a suspect at the mortuary.

“The command received a distress call that someone at Akugbe Mortuary was about to be lynched. The Divisional Police Officer of Ugbekun Division was immediately mobilised to rescue the mortuary attendant accused of harvesting organs from a corpse,” Ikoedem said.

She explained that the suspect was safely rescued and taken into custody. The attendant is currently being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, where investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the allegations.

Ikoedem assured the public that a thorough investigation would be conducted and urged residents to remain calm and allow the due process of law to take its course.