The mother of 22-year-old Samuel Ezekiel has revealed that she was completely unaware of her son’s ordeal until she received a phone call informing her that his kidney had been removed. She had no knowledge that he had been taken to Wellington Hospital in Abuja, where the procedure allegedly took place on April 24, 2026.
Ezekiel had previously told journalists that his friend, Emmanuel Ode, deceived him into visiting the hospital under false pretences. According to the victim, Ode assured him that the procedure would not affect his health or ability to live normally. Ezekiel further alleged that his identity was changed to “Hassan Abubakar” during the process and that an affidavit was prepared at the Federal High Court to facilitate the surgery.
The police have alleged that Ode recruited Ezekiel for the procedure, which was performed for $1,250—approximately N1.7m. The Nigeria Police Force has since paraded Ode, along with two nephrologists from Wellington Hospital—Dr. Benjamin Oyime and Dr. Daniel Otukpa—and another suspect, David Idoko. They were arrested on August 19 by the Special Tactical Squad in Auta Balefi, Nasarawa State.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, stated that Ode confessed to recruiting vulnerable and uneducated young people by exploiting their financial difficulties. Investigators allege that the syndicate forged official documents, including National Identification Numbers, birth certificates, and consent letters, to carry out the illegal operations.
Ezekiel’s mother recounted that she was at her shop when she received the distressing call. After confirming the incident with her younger son, she reported the matter to the police. She noted that her son did not receive any money from the operation; Ezekiel claimed he handed the payment to Ode, who spent it on personal items and travel expenses, eventually selling Ezekiel’s phone to fund their return journey from Cross River State.
The mother only realized the severity of his condition when the police directed her to take him back to the hospital, as he had been walking around with his surgical stitches still in place, which had begun to develop pus.
The police investigation into the syndicate is ongoing as part of a wider probe into organ trafficking, prompted by public attention brought to the issue by activist Martins Otse (VeryDarkMan). While the FCT Police Command has warned against unverified rumors of widespread organ selling in the region, they continue to pursue those involved in the confirmed cases identified in Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory.
Credit: Punch
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