MOTHER LEARNT SON’S KIDNEY WAS ALLEGEDLY REMOVED THROUGH PHONE CALL

By: Balogun Ibrahim

The mother of 22-year-old Samuel Ezekiel, who allegedly had one of his kidneys removed after being deceived by his friend, Emmanuel Ode, has said she only became aware of the incident after receiving a phone call from someone who had heard about the procedure.

The woman said she was unaware that her son had been taken to a hospital in Abuja, where his kidney was allegedly harvested on April 24, 2026.

Ezekiel had earlier told journalists that Ode deceived him into believing they were going to the hospital for another reason before taking him to Wellington Hospital in Life Camp, Abuja, where he allegedly underwent the kidney removal procedure.

According to the victim, Ode assured him that losing a kidney would not affect his health or prevent him from living a normal life.

Ezekiel also alleged that his identity was changed to “Hassan Abubakar” during the process and that an affidavit was prepared at the Federal High Court before he was taken to the hospital.

The police later alleged that Ode recruited Ezekiel for the procedure and that his kidney was harvested for $1,250, approximately N1.7m.

The Nigeria Police Force subsequently paraded Ode, two doctors and another suspect over an alleged organ-harvesting and human-trafficking syndicate operating in Abuja and Nasarawa State.

The suspects identified by the police were Ode, 23; Dr Benjamin Oyime, 48, a nephrologist and consultant to Wellington Hospital; Dr Daniel Otukpa, 53, a nephrologist and the hospital’s Acting Director of Clinical Services; and David Idoko, 25.

The police said the suspects were arrested by operatives of the Special Tactical Squad during a sting operation at Auta Balefi in the Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on August 19.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, said Ode allegedly confessed during interrogation to recruiting victims under false pretences.

According to the police, the syndicate allegedly targeted vulnerable and uneducated youths, exploiting their financial difficulties to obtain consent for illegal organ harvesting.

Investigators also alleged that official documents, including names, National Identification Numbers, birth certificates, age declarations, affidavits and consent letters, were forged to facilitate the procedures.

However, Ezekiel’s mother said she had no knowledge that her son had undergone the operation until she received an unexpected call.

“I was in the shop one day, and someone called me to say they heard that my son’s kidney had been removed,” she said while speaking to journalists on Friday.

She said she immediately contacted another of her sons to find out what had happened, but he initially said he was unaware of the incident.

According to her, she later learnt from her younger son that Ezekiel had been taken to a hospital by Ode, prompting her to report the matter to the police.

She said, “So, later, he told me that the junior one told him that Emmanuel took him to a hospital and then went and removed his kidney. So, that was how I went to the police station to report the matter.”

The mother also said her son did not bring any money home following the procedure.

Asked whether Ezekiel returned home with money, she replied, “No, no, no.”

Ezekiel had earlier claimed that the payment he received was made in US dollars and that he handed the money to Ode for safekeeping before entering the theatre.

He alleged that after the operation, Ode changed the money and used part of it to purchase two phones, two power banks and two Wi-Fi devices.

According to Ezekiel, Ode gave him one of each item and kept the others.

The victim further said he spent about a week in the hospital after the operation before being discharged and taken by Ode to a hotel, where they stayed for two days.

He said Ode later took him to Cross River State, where they remained for almost three months.

Ezekiel said that when he eventually asked about the money, Ode told him it had been spent.

He also alleged that when they ran out of money for transportation back to Abuja, Ode collected his phone and sold it to raise funds for the journey.

Explaining why she did not immediately notice her son’s absence, the mother said Ezekiel had left her residence in Nyanya, Abuja, to stay with his father in Ota, Ogun State.

She said Ezekiel had completed secondary school but that the family could not afford to further his education at the time.

According to her, the family instead enrolled him to acquire computer-related skills.

She said, “When he finished secondary school, he came back. At that time, I didn’t have money to send him to another school. So, we paid money for him to learn computer skills.”

She added that Ezekiel later stayed with his father in Ota while learning computer skills and was also placed with a Ghanaian man to learn 3D design and painting.

The mother said she became increasingly concerned about her son’s health after the police instructed her to take him back to the hospital.

According to her, Ezekiel had been moving around with the surgical stitches still in place, while the wound later became infected and began producing pus.

“The police then said I should take him back to the hospital because he was walking around with the stitches without removing them. When it started producing pus, they said he should go back and have the stitches removed,” she said.

She subsequently took him back to the hospital, where the stitches were removed.

The police said investigations into the alleged organ-harvesting syndicate are ongoing, with efforts being made to arrest other suspects allegedly linked to the network.

The Force said the investigation formed part of its broader probe into alleged organ trafficking following allegations brought to public attention by social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.

The activist had earlier said a young man approached his NGO with a medical report indicating that his left kidney was missing.

The police said their investigation uncovered allegations involving vulnerable youths in communities across Nasarawa State and the Federal Capital Territory.

The FCT Police Command, however, warned the public against spreading unverified claims following viral reports alleging widespread kidney sales among youths in Nyanya, Mararaba, Karu and surrounding communities.

The command said it had neither received nor confirmed claims that “nearly all” young people in the affected areas had sold their kidneys, urging anyone with credible information about suspected organ trafficking to report to the police.