A 34-year-old man in Nigeria allegedly confessed that he killed and dismembered his roommate in order to sell his body parts to a pastor for “ritual purposes,” according to local media reports.

The suspect, Okpegboro Avwerosuo, allegedly killed his roommate in Sagbama Town, an area in Bayelsa, Nigeria.

According to a neighbor who spoke to authorities anonymously, Okpegboro, who is from Delta State, Nigeria, killed the victim after inviting him to the town for a two-week visit.

The neighbor told police that Okpegboro struck and killed the victim with a pestle in the middle of the night. Following the attack, Okpegboro moved to dismember the victim’s body while preserving his vital organs.

“After killing him, he dismembered the body, preserved the vital organs and put the other parts in separate sacks, which he disposed off in the early hours of the following day,” the neighbor said, according to The Guardian.

The anonymous neighbor said that while Okpegboro was disposing of the sacks, another neighbor saw the suspicious activity and demanded to know the whereabouts of his roommate.

“The suspect claimed that the deceased has travelled back to Delta State for an urgent business. Not satisfied with his response, the neighbor forced his way into the room and saw blood stains everywhere,” the anonymous neighbor said.

“Upon interrogation, before he was handed over to the police, the suspect confessed that he had sold the vital organs of his friend to a pastor in Port Harcourt, who is currently at large, for ritual purposes.”

Asinim Butswat, a police public relations officer in Bayelsa, confirmed the reports and said that the victim’s name has not yet been released to the public. Butswat said that the suspect is now being detained at the state Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.

Preye Casey, president of SALGA Federated Youth Council Worldwide, a local organization, condemned the killing and warned community members to be on alert for violent or suspicious activity.

“Just yesterday, the decomposing body of a young man was discovered in the bush with several parts of the body already butchered into pieces and placed in sack bags,” Casey said in a statement, according to The Nigerian Tribune.

“The Nigeria Police, Sagbama Division, was alerted and it led to the arrest of a young man in Sagbama Federated Community, suspected to have been the perpetrator of the ungodly act,” he added.

Meanwhile, OHAFIA-TV News contacted Butswat for additional comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.