Police Bust Organ Harvesting Syndicate in Nasarawa: Two Doctors, Two Others Arrested

Police Bust Organ Harvesting Syndicate in Nasarawa: Two Doctors, Two Others Arrested

The Nigeria Police Force has paraded four suspects, including two consultant nephrologists, over their alleged involvement in an illegal kidney harvesting syndicate operating in Nasarawa State and the Federal Capital Territory. The suspects allegedly exploited vulnerable and unemployed young Nigerians, luring them with cash payments before removing their kidneys in unregulated procedures. Operatives of the Special Tactical Squad (STS) arrested the suspects on August 19, 2026, during a sting operation in Auta Balifi, Karu Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, following credible intelligence on the activities of the syndicate. Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, paraded the suspects on Thursday and confirmed that clothes allegedly purchased with proceeds from the crime were recovered as exhibits.

The police identified the four suspects as Emmanuel Ode, a 23-year-old from Nasarawa State who served as the alleged recruiter and lured victims under false pretences; Dr. Benjamin Oyime, a 48-year-old nephrologist and consultant to Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja, from Edo State; Dr. Daniel Otukpa, a 53-year-old nephrologist and Acting Director of Clinical Services at Wellington Hospital, from Benue State; and David Idoko, a 25-year-old alleged accomplice. Both doctors are nephrologists — kidney specialists — who were allegedly complicit in the illegal removal of organs at Wellington Hospital in Life Camp, Abuja.

According to police investigations, the syndicate targeted young, financially desperate and less-educated individuals in Nasarawa State and surrounding communities. The alleged recruiter, Emmanuel Ode, reportedly confessed during interrogation to luring victims under false pretences and taking them to Wellington Hospital for the illegal procedures. Two victims have so far been identified. The first, Samuel Ezekiel, aged 22, was allegedly lured by Ode on April 24, 2026, to Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja, where his kidney was harvested. He was paid $1,250, approximately ₦1.7 million, for the procedure. The second victim, David Idoko, aged 25, was allegedly lured by the same agent in 2022 to a hospital where his kidney was harvested, and he was paid ₦7,000,000.

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Investigators uncovered evidence that the suspects forged official documents to facilitate the illegal operations, including victims’ names, National Identification Numbers (NIN) , birth certificates, age declarations, affidavits, and consent letters. The police said the suspects exploited the victims’ financial desperation to obtain what was presented as “consent” for the procedures, despite the obvious irregularities.

The police action followed public alerts and a petition from the Vincent Ose Initiative, an organisation associated with social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan. According to VeryDarkMan’s lawyer, Abubakar Marshal, the case came to light after a young man approached the activist’s NGO with a medical report indicating his left kidney was missing. The lawyer further alleged that the victim was given about $1,300 after the procedure to “shut up,” that more than 10 young Nigerians may have fallen victim to similar illegal kidney harvesting networks, that organs were allegedly sold to recipients for between ₦50 million and ₦70 million while donors received only a fraction, and that some hospitals allegedly used agents to approach young men in financial difficulty. The lawyer stressed that while organ transplantation is not illegal in Nigeria, the law requires informed consent from an adult person with no financial inducement — requirements allegedly violated in these cases.

The arrests have fuelled viral social media reports alleging widespread kidney sales among young people in Nyanya, Mararaba, Karu and neighbouring communities. However, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, through its spokesperson SP Josephine Adeh, stated that it had neither received nor confirmed any report of such widespread activity. The command urged the public to disregard unverified publications to avoid creating fear and panic, while calling on anyone with credible information to report to the nearest police station.

The Nigeria Police Force reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling human trafficking and organ harvesting networks across the country and protecting vulnerable citizens from exploitation. Investigations are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate. This case highlights the growing threat of illegal organ trafficking in Nigeria, where financially vulnerable young people are being exploited by syndicates involving medical professionals. It also underscores the role of citizen activism in bringing such crimes to public attention and prompting law enforcement action.