The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of an Islamic cleric, identified as Alfa Bashiru, after he was found in possession of suspected human flesh.
According to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Adewale Osifeso, the suspect was intercepted by a Federal Highway Patrol team at the Toll Gate axis of the Ibadan Expressway around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday while travelling in a white bus with registration number XA 551 IRG.
During interrogation, Bashiru reportedly claimed he had purchased the item in Lagos State. The cleric has since been transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, for further investigation.
“The suspected item is undergoing forensic analysis to determine its authenticity and source,” Osifeso stated.
In a separate development, operatives of the Command recovered an abandoned Toyota Camry with registration number LSD 957 JX during a stop-and-search operation. The driver allegedly fled the scene, leaving the vehicle behind, which has now been taken into custody.
Osifeso stressed that stop-and-search operations were not “exaggerated security theatrics” but deliberate efforts to maintain law and order, ensuring the safety of residents and travellers.
The Command, under Commissioner of Police Femi Haruna, urged anyone with legitimate claims to the abandoned vehicle to come forward with verifiable documents, while assuring the public of sustained policing efforts to combat crime and strengthen security across Oyo State.
