The Nigeria Police Force is investigating an alleged organ-harvesting and human-trafficking operation involving the removal of kidneys from young men, following the arrest of four suspects, including two medical doctors linked to an Abuja hospital.
The suspects were arrested on August 19 during an operation by the police Special Tactical Squad at Auta Balifi in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. Police subsequently paraded them over allegations that victims were recruited and taken through kidney-removal procedures under questionable circumstances.
Brandspur Brand News reports that the suspects include Emmanuel Ode, 23; Dr Benjamin Oyime, a nephrologist and consultant to Wellington Hospital; Dr Daniel Otukpa, a nephrologist identified by police as Acting Director of Clinical Services at the hospital; and David Idoko, 25.
Police investigators allege that Ode recruited victims under false pretences and that documents containing personal information, including National Identification Numbers, birth records, age declarations, affidavits and consent documents, were falsified as part of the operation.
One case under investigation involves 22-year-old Samuel Ezekiel. According to the police, he was taken to Wellington Hospital in Life Camp, Abuja, on April 24, 2026, where a kidney was removed. Investigators allege that $1,250, estimated at about N1.7 million, was connected to the donation.
Police also disclosed an allegation from another person who claimed to have been recruited in 2022 and had a kidney removed in exchange for N7 million.
Wellington Clinics has rejected allegations that it participated in illegal organ trading or benefited financially from transactions involving donors and recipients. The hospital said its role in the April procedure was limited to providing medical facilities and an operating theatre to an independent specialist team.
The hospital said documents presented during the admission gave no indication that the donor’s identity had allegedly been manipulated. It maintains that responsibility for donor recruitment, compatibility assessment, informed consent, ethical screening and related clinical matters rested with the specialist medical team.
Wellington Clinics has since suspended all renal transplant-related services pending the outcome of the investigation and said it is cooperating with the authorities.
The case has renewed scrutiny of safeguards surrounding organ transplantation in Nigeria. The National Health Act prohibits financial rewards for donated human tissue beyond reimbursement of reasonable costs and requires transplant procedures to comply with specified medical and institutional safeguards.
The allegations against the arrested individuals have not been established by a court, and the investigation remains ongoing. Determining how the donors were recruited, whether consent and identity documents were genuine, and the responsibility of each person involved will be central to establishing what happened.
