A young Nigerian, Samuel Ezekiel, has recounted how he was allegedly deceived by his friend, Emmanuel Odeh, into undergoing kidney removal at Wellington Hospital in Life Camp, Abuja.
Ezekiel alleged that Odeh changed his identity to “Hassan Abubakar” and facilitated the procedure after assuring him that the operation would not cause him any health problems.
He made the disclosure while speaking to journalists during the Nigeria Police Force parade of suspects linked to an alleged organ-harvesting syndicate operating in Abuja and Nasarawa State on Friday.
According to Ezekiel, he trusted Odeh and initially believed they were simply going to a hospital.
“It’s my friend that deceived me. His name is Emmanuel Udeh,” he said.
He explained that Odeh later introduced him to a man identified as David, who took him to an agent named Ben for medical tests.
Ezekiel said his initial test results did not match those of the intended kidney recipient. He claimed the agent subsequently told them that another recipient had been found and that his kidney was a match.
It was at this point, he alleged, that Ben told him his identity would be changed.
“Then Ben said that they are going to change my name, that I will be bearing Hassan Abubakar,” Ezekiel said.
He said they were later taken to the Federal High Court, where an affidavit was prepared before they proceeded to Wellington Hospital.
After signing documents at the hospital, Ezekiel said he was taken into the theatre for the procedure.
According to him, the payment was brought to them in dollars shortly before he entered the theatre.
“After we signed, then later in the night around 10:00 to 11:00, they now came and gave us money in dollars,” he said.
Ezekiel said he handed the money to Odeh for safekeeping before entering the theatre.
However, he alleged that when he regained consciousness after the operation, Odeh had exchanged the money and spent part of it on electronic devices.
“He now bought two phones, two power banks and two Wi-Fi [devices]. Then he gave me one and held one,” Ezekiel alleged.
He said they remained in the hospital for about a week before they were discharged, after which Odeh took him to a hotel where they spent two days.
Ezekiel said Odeh subsequently took him to Cross River State, where they stayed for about three months.
He said he eventually asked Odeh about the money he had received from the kidney donation but was told that it had been exhausted.
“Before I now asked him, ‘Where is the money?’ He told me that the money had finished,” he said.
According to Ezekiel, Odeh later claimed they had no money for transportation back to Abuja and allegedly collected his phone and sold it to raise transport fare.
He said the experience left him feeling deceived because he had trusted Odeh.
Asked whether he knew that his kidney would be removed, Ezekiel said he was aware of the procedure but claimed that Odeh had reassured him that it would not affect his health.
“He just told me that it’s something that they will just convert, that there’s no issue, that I can do everything that I want to do and that I will not have any issue,” he said.
Ezekiel confirmed that he consented to the procedure, which he said took place at Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, on April 24.
He said he was paid in dollars but could not determine the exact amount, recalling that the payment consisted of several $100 notes and a $50 note.
The account emerged as the police intensified investigations into an alleged organ-harvesting network operating around Abuja and Nasarawa State.
The Nigeria Police Force on Friday paraded several suspects, including two doctors and alleged recruiters, following a sting operation in the Auta Balefi area of Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
Among those paraded was Odeh, whom the police accused of recruiting victims for the alleged organ-harvesting syndicate.
Also paraded were Dr Benjamin Oyime, a nephrologist and consultant to Wellington Hospital; Dr Daniel Otukpa, another nephrologist and Acting Director of Clinical Services at the hospital; and David Idoko.
The police alleged that the syndicate targeted vulnerable young people and facilitated illegal kidney removal through forged documents and false representations.
The Force said investigations were continuing to identify and arrest other individuals allegedly connected to the network.
The case gained public attention after activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, said a young man approached his NGO with medical evidence indicating that his left kidney was missing.
The police subsequently launched an investigation into the allegations, resulting in the arrest and parade of the suspects.
All allegations remain subject to investigation and due process.
