Police Parade Two Doctors, Two Others Over Alleged Kidney Harvesting
The Nigeria Police Force has paraded four suspects allegedly linked to 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 the 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 in the Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed the arrests in a statement issued on Friday.
According to Iniedu, Ode allegedly confessed during interrogation to recruiting victims under false pretences and facilitating their movement to hospitals where their kidneys were allegedly harvested.
The police said Ode disclosed that on April 24, 2026, he lured a 22-year-old man, Samuel Ezekiel, to Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja, where his kidney was allegedly harvested for $1,250, equivalent to about ₦1.7m.
The statement further quoted the suspect as saying that another victim was allegedly lured in 2022 to a hospital where his kidney was harvested, with the victim reportedly receiving ₦7m.
The police alleged that the suspects and their accomplices exploited the financial difficulties of vulnerable young people to obtain consent for illegal organ harvesting.
According to the Force, investigations showed that the alleged syndicate targeted vulnerable and poorly educated young people in Nasarawa State and neighbouring areas, taking advantage of their financial desperation.
The police also alleged that the suspects forged official documents, including victims’ names, National Identification Numbers, birth certificates, age declarations, affidavits and consent letters, to facilitate the alleged operations.
Clothes allegedly purchased with proceeds from the criminal activities were also recovered during the operation and retained as exhibits, the police said.
The Force said investigations were ongoing to identify and arrest other persons allegedly connected to the syndicate.
The development comes amid renewed public concern over allegations of illegal kidney harvesting and organ trafficking following claims made on social media by activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
VeryDarkMan had alleged in a series of social media posts that a young man approached his NGO with a medical report showing that he was missing a kidney.
He further alleged that the man had been paid after the procedure and that attempts were made to alter his identity through affidavits.
The activist also claimed that other vulnerable youths had allegedly been targeted in areas including Nyanya and Mararaba, involving agents and medical practitioners.
He alleged that some of the harvested kidneys were subsequently sold, while victims received only a fraction of the proceeds.
The public allegations, alongside a petition from the Vincent Ose Initiative, reportedly drew police attention to related cases.
However, viral claims that nearly all young people living around Nyanya, Mararaba, Karu and neighbouring communities had sold their kidneys were denied by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, said the police had neither received nor confirmed any report of such activity and urged members of the public to disregard unverified reports capable of creating fear and panic.
The command also urged anyone with credible information about suspected organ trafficking to report to the nearest police station or the appropriate police authorities.
The Nigeria Police Force reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling networks involved in human trafficking and illegal organ harvesting and protecting vulnerable members of the public from exploitation.