Police operatives from the Okigwe Divisional Police Headquarters arrested the suspects on 3 February along Okigwe-Umuahia Express Road in the Ogii Community.

The police in Imo, South-east Nigeria, have arrested three crime suspects for allegedly being in possession of a human skull in Ogii, a community in Okigwe Local Government Area of the state.

The police spokesperson in Imo State, Henry Okoye, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

Mr Okoye, a deputy superintendent of police, identified the arrested suspects as Patrick Okoere, 29; Ifeanyichukwu Anyaemeka, 28, and Chukwuemeka Onyekachi, 20 - all males.

The spokesperson said police operatives from the Okigwe Divisional Police Headquarters arrested the suspects on 3 February along Okigwe-Umuahia Express Road in the Ogii Community.

He said residents of the Ogii Community assisted the police operatives during the arrest of the suspects.

Mr Okoye said apart from the human skull, the suspects were also in possession of a native hen and white garments when they were arrested.

Native hen and white garments are often used for ritual purposes in Nigeria.

Suspects speak

Mr Okoye said one of the suspects, Mr Okoere, claimed during an interrogation that his uncle, Osunta Oko, had asked him to acquire a human skull.

"He claimed to have found it along a riverbank on the Okigwe-Umuahia Expressway, an area where the (Imo State Police) Command has received cases of kidnappings," the police spokesperson said.

"The Imo State Police Command is actively pursuing Osunta Oko and other possible accomplices in connection with this disturbing incident. In addition, a DNA analysis is underway to determine the identity of the skull's owner," he added.

Mr Okoye said the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Aboki Danjuma, has reassured the residents of the state that the state police command would remain committed to ensuring their safety.

The spokesperson stressed that the police in Imo State were determined to prosecute the suspects to ensure that justice was served.