Police parade two doctors, others over kidney harvesting in Nasarawa

The Nigeria Police Force has paraded four suspects allegedly involved in an organ harvesting and human trafficking syndicate operating in Nasarawa State.

The suspects are Emmanuel Ode, 23; Dr Benjamin Oyime, 48, a nephrologist and consultant to Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja; Dr Daniel Otukpa, 53, also a nephrologist and Acting Director of Clinical Services at Wellington Hospital; and David Idoko, 25.

They were arrested by operatives of the Special Tactical Squad during a sting operation on August 19, 2026, at Auta Balifi, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.

According to Iniedu, Ode allegedly confessed during interrogation to recruiting victims under false pretences.

“He (Ode) 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 statement read.

The police said the suspects allegedly exploited the victims’ financial difficulties to obtain consent for illegal organ harvesting.

“Investigations revealed 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 indicates that the suspects forged official documents, including victims’ names, National Identification Numbers (NIN), birth certificates, age declarations, affidavits, and consent letters to facilitate these criminal activities.”

The police said clothes allegedly purchased with proceeds of the crime were recovered as exhibits during the operation.

The Force said investigations were ongoing to apprehend other suspects allegedly connected to the syndicate.

It also reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling human trafficking and organ harvesting networks across the country and protecting vulnerable citizens from exploitation.

PUNCH Online reports that the development comes amid recent allegations of kidney trafficking brought to public attention by social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.

VeryDarkMan, in a series of posts on his social media page, had disclosed that a young man approached his NGO with a medical report indicating that he was missing a left kidney.

The man was allegedly paid after the procedure, with attempts reportedly made to change his identity through affidavits.

The activist also alleged that some vulnerable youths had been similarly targeted in areas including Nyanya and Mararaba by agents and medical practitioners.

He alleged that some harvested kidneys were subsequently sold, while donors received only a fraction of the proceeds.

The activist’s public alerts and a petition from the Vincent Ose Initiative reportedly contributed to police attention on related cases.

Around the same period, viral social media posts claimed that nearly all young people living around Nyanya, Mararaba, Karu and neighbouring communities had sold their kidneys, with an agent in Mararaba allegedly buying them.

However, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command denied receiving or confirming any report of such activity.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, stated that it had “neither received nor confirmed any report of such nature” and that no official statement to that effect had emanated from the police.

The command urged the public to disregard the unverified publications to avoid creating fear and panic and called on anyone with credible information about suspected organ trafficking to report to the nearest police station or the command.