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.

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

EFCC secures jail terms for two fraudsters as Lagos court orders asset forfeiture

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted and sentenced two men, Agboola Abdullahi Abiodun and Victor Okonjo, for offences involving money laundering, cybercrime and fraudulent impersonation.

The convictions were secured by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice F.N. Ogazi.

The two men were separately arraigned before the court and pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them.

Abiodun faced a three-count charge bordering on money laundering and related offences. One of the allegations involved disguising proceeds from a dating scam through the purchase of a black Toyota Venza.

The offence was prosecuted under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, with the prosecution alleging that Abiodun dealt with proceeds linked to unlawful activity in a manner intended to conceal their origin.

Okonjo was separately arraigned on a two-count charge involving cybercrime and fraudulent impersonation.

One of the counts alleged that Okonjo fraudulently impersonated Aaron Bauer, identified in the charge as a male citizen of the United States, with the intention of obtaining an advantage for himself.

The allegation was brought under provisions of Nigeria’s Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act.

After the charges were read to the defendants, both men entered guilty pleas before the court.

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Following their pleas, EFCC prosecutor F.B. Orilade reviewed the facts of the cases and presented the prosecution’s evidence. He subsequently urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants according to the law.

Justice Ogazi, after considering the facts presented before the court and the defendants’ pleas, convicted both men and imposed separate sentences.

Abiodun was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on count one, while he received one year each on counts two and three.

Okonjo, meanwhile, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment with an option of a ₦500,000 fine on count one and four years’ imprisonment on count two.

The court ordered that the sentences should run concurrently, meaning the terms would not be added together to create separate consecutive prison periods.

The sentences were also ordered to take effect from the dates of the defendants’ arrests.

In addition to the prison sentences, the court ordered the forfeiture of the convicts’ mobile phones, laptops and vehicles.

The items listed in the forfeiture order include a Toyota Venza and a 2020 Mercedes-Benz.

Justice Ogazi directed that the forfeited assets should be sold and that the proceeds should be used to compensate the victims of the offences where the victims can be identified and traced.

Where the victims cannot be traced, the court ordered that the proceeds from the sale of the assets should be paid into the coffers of the Federal Government.

The judgment underscores the financial consequences that can accompany convictions for online fraud, money laundering and fraudulent impersonation, particularly where proceeds of alleged criminal activity are converted into valuable assets.

In Abiodun’s case, the prosecution linked the alleged laundering offence to proceeds from a dating scam and the purchase of a Toyota Venza.

Okonjo’s conviction, meanwhile, centred on the alleged fraudulent use of another person’s identity for personal advantage.

The case is also part of the broader efforts by the EFCC to prosecute suspected internet fraud and financial crime cases and recover assets linked to criminal offences.

With the court’s orders, the forfeited vehicles and electronic devices are to be disposed of in accordance with the judgment, with priority given to compensating identifiable victims.

The convictions bring the proceedings against the two defendants at the trial court to a close, subject to any further legal steps available to them under Nigerian law.

EFCC secures jail terms for two fraudsters as Lagos court orders asset forfeiture

My love for my wife affected my work, earnings — Husband begs court to save marriage

A Kaduna man and father of two, Aminu Kabiru, has told a Shari’a Court that his intense love for his estranged wife affected his ability to concentrate on his work and earn enough to provide for their family.

Kabiru made the unusual claim while responding to his wife’s application for divorce through Khul’i proceedings before the Shari’a Court in Kaduna State.

The husband told the court that his affection for his wife was so overwhelming that it distracted him from his work and affected his earning capacity.

“I could not provide enough for my family because of the intense love I have for my wife,” Kabiru told the court.

He appealed to the court to give the couple more time to reconcile, arguing that their marriage should be saved for the sake of their two young children.

Kabiru urged the court to consider the welfare of the children, who are both below the age of two.

The husband’s plea came after his wife, through her lawyer, Abubakar Jibril, made it clear that she no longer wanted to remain in the marriage.

Jibril told the court that his client had been living at her parents’ home for approximately eight months, claiming that she had not received adequate care and support from her husband during that period.

The lawyer said the couple married in 2024 and have two children together.

He told the court that their first child is 16 months old, while their second child is only two months old.

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Despite her husband’s request for reconciliation, the woman maintained that she had made up her mind to end the marriage.

Her lawyer also informed the court that she was prepared to return the N100,000 dowry she received from Kabiru as part of her request to dissolve the marriage.

“The complainant is no longer interested in the marriage and is ready to return the dowry she received,” Jibril told the court.

The issue of the dowry prompted the presiding judge, Malam Mu’awiya Shehu, to seek clarification on the amount involved.

Kabiru confirmed that the dowry was N100,000, but argued that the amount did not reflect the total expenses he had incurred for his wife before their wedding.

The husband told the court that he had spent substantially more than the dowry amount on his wife before they got married and asked that those expenses be considered in the proceedings.

The judge subsequently adjourned the case to enable Kabiru to provide details of the expenses he claimed to have incurred.

The adjournment means the court will have an opportunity to examine the husband’s financial claims before determining the next stage of the divorce case.

The proceedings have placed the couple’s disagreement over their marriage, financial responsibilities and reconciliation efforts before the court, with both sides maintaining different positions on whether the union should continue.

While Kabiru is asking for more time to repair the relationship and keep the family together, his wife has maintained through her counsel that she no longer wishes to remain in the marriage.

The welfare of their two young children is also central to the husband’s appeal for reconciliation.

The case will resume after the husband submits the details of the expenses he says he incurred before the marriage. The court will then consider the claims before deciding how to proceed with the woman’s Khul’i divorce application.

My love for my wife affected my work, earnings — Husband begs court to save marriage