Victim: How my kidney was harvested by Abuja organ syndicate

Samuel Ezekiel, 22, has narrated how a friend deceived him into a black market organ harvesting syndicate that removed his kidney at Wellington Clinic, Abuja, Peoples Gazette reports. Speaking with journalists, Ezekiel said his friend, Emmanuel Ode, assured him nothing would happen if his kidney was removed, before linking him with an agent named David, who introduced him to a broker called Ben. He said his identity was changed to “Hassan Abubakar” through forged court affidavits before he signed a consent form at the hospital in April.

Police identified the suspects as Emmanuel Ode, Dr Benjamin Oyime and Dr Daniel Otukpa, both nephrologists at Wellington Hospital, and David Idoko. Investigators said Ezekiel’s kidney was harvested for $1,250, while a second victim was paid ₦7 million in a similar 2022 case. Police said the syndicate targeted vulnerable, uneducated young people in Nasarawa State, forging NINs, birth certificates and consent letters to facilitate the crimes. Wellington Clinic has not responded to the allegations. In 2024, NAPTIP arraigned an Abuja-based doctor, Christopher Otabor, and three others over a similar organ harvesting case.