Adorned in a navy blue shirt and with a black nose mark, Samuel Ezekiel, narrated how he was deceived by a friend into a black market organ harvesting syndicate that removed his kidney in an Abuja hospital.
Mr Ezekiel, 22, who spoke with journalists on Friday, said, “It was my friend that deceived me. His name is Emmanuel Ode. Emmanuel told me when they removed it nothing will happen. He said if they remove my kidney nothing will happen.”
He said his friend linked him with an agent who facilitated how his kidney was harvested at Wellington Clinic, Abuja, in April.
“Emmanuel linked me with David, who took me to inside town (Abuja) to meet the agent called Ben. We ran some tests. After some days, we were told that my test does not match the person we want. However, two day after they call us that they have seen someone who my kidney matched his own,” he said.
The 22-year-old also narrated how the organ trafficking syndicate got him to swear on affidavits changing his name before he was given a consent form to sign and remove his kidney.
“So Emmanuel took me to Ben in town. When we met Ben he said they will change my name. I will be bearing Hassan Abubakar. From there they took me to the high court and did the affidavits. Then they took me to the Hospital, Wellington Clinic. Then after that we now signed. At around 10 or 11, they gave us money in dollars. After they gave us money in dollars, when I was about to enter the theatre, I gave the money to Emmanuel. When I came out of the theatre, Emmanuel has gone to change the money. He bought two phones, two power banks, two wifis. Everything he bought two, gave me one and held one,” Mr Ezekiel said.
He added, “We spent almost one week in the hospital. After we left the hospital, Emmanuel took me to hotel for two days. After the two days, he took me to his state, Cross River. We spent almost three months in Cross River. I now asked him where is the money, he said the money is finished. He then told me we don’t have transport fare to come back. He collected my phone and sold for it to get transport to Abuja.”
In a statement on Friday, the police identified the suspects linked to Mr Ezikiel’s kidney harvest as “Emmanuel Ode, male, 23 years, of Auta Balifi, Nasarawa State; Dr. Benjamin Oyime, male, 48 years, of Edo State, a Nephrologist (Kidney consultant) and Consultant to Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja; Dr Daniel Otukpa, male, 53 years, of Benue State, also a Nephrologist and Acting Director of Clinical Services at Wellington Hospital; and David Idoko, male, 25 years.
“During interrogation, Emmanuel Ode confessed to recruiting victims under false pretences. He disclosed that on 24th April 2026, he lured one Samuel Ezekiel, 22, to Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja, where his kidney was allegedly harvested for the sum of $1,250 USD (One Thousand Two Hundred and Fifty US Dollars), equivalent to ₦1,700,000.00 (One Million Seven Hundred Thousand Naira) at the current exchange rate. A second victim alleged that he was lured by the same agent in 2022 to a hospital where his kidney was harvested, for which he was paid the sum of ₦7,000,000.00 (Seven Million Naira),” the police said.
Wellington Clinic has yet to officially react to allegations bordering on Black market organ harvest. It could not be immediately reached for comment on the alleged involvement of its staff in organ harvesting and human trafficking, as alleged by the Nigerian police.
The Peoples Gazette called Wellington Clinics Abuja’s publicly available number, 0816 870 4327, twice for comment, but the calls were not answered.
Founded in 2011, Wellington Clinics is a private, free-standing specialist hospital located at Plot 321 Gidan Fulani Street, Dape district, Lifecamp, Abuja.
On its website, claims it “offers a comprehensive range of healthcare treatment options for children, adolescents, and adults facing various health challenges. Our facility is designed and furnished with the most advanced medical and surgical technologies available globally, enhancing our ability to deliver high-quality patient care.
It added, “Our primary focus is on Neurology, Neurological, and Spinal Surgery, with a vision to be recognized as a regional centre of excellence in these disciplines. In collaboration with other specialities such as Neuro-anaesthesia, Internal Medicine, Oncology, General & Endoscopic Surgery, and OB/GYN, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive and quality care to our patients.”
According to the police, investigations showed that the suspects and their accomplices allegedly targeted vulnerable and uneducated young persons within Nasarawa State and its environs, exploiting their financial desperation to obtain consent for illegal organ harvesting.
Evidence gathered indicated that the suspects forged official documents, including victims’ names, National Identification Numbers (NIN), birth certificates, age declarations, affidavits, and consent letters to facilitate the criminal acts.
The development exposes illegal organ harvesting syndicate reported to be operating in the Federal Capital Territory.
In 2024, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), arraigned a 51-year-old Abuja-based medical practitioner, Dr Christopher Otabor, and three others before a High Court, Zuba Division, Abuja, presided over by Justice Keziah Ogbonnaya, for an alleged organ (kidney) harvesting.