The Nigeria Police Force has paraded two medical doctors and two other suspects allegedly linked to a human trafficking and illegal organ harvesting syndicate operating in Nasarawa State.
The suspects were identified as Emmanuel Ode, 23; Dr Benjamin Oyime, 48, a nephrologist and consultant with Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja; Dr Daniel Otukpa, 53, also a nephrologist and Acting Director of Clinical Services at the hospital; and David Idoko, 25.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.
According to Iniedu, operatives of the Special Tactical Squad arrested the suspects during a sting operation conducted on August 19, 2026, at Auta Balifi in the Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The police alleged that Ode confessed during interrogation to recruiting unsuspecting victims under false pretences for the syndicate.
The Force said one of the alleged victims, identified as 22-year-old Samuel Ezekiel, was reportedly taken to Wellington Hospital in Life Camp, Abuja, on April 24, 2026, where his kidney was allegedly removed.
According to the police, Ezekiel was allegedly paid $1,250, said to be equivalent to about N1.7m at the prevailing exchange rate, for the kidney.
The police further disclosed that another alleged victim claimed he was recruited by the same agent in 2022 and subsequently underwent a procedure in which one of his kidneys was allegedly removed. He was reportedly paid N7m.
Investigators alleged that the syndicate preyed on financially vulnerable young people, particularly those with limited education, by exploiting their economic difficulties to secure their consent for the alleged illegal procedures.
The police also accused the suspects and their alleged accomplices of falsifying official documents to facilitate the activities.
The documents allegedly forged included victims’ names, National Identification Numbers, birth certificates, age declarations, affidavits and consent forms.
The Force said items suspected to have been acquired with proceeds from the alleged criminal activities, including clothing, were recovered during the operation and kept as exhibits.
The police said investigation was continuing, with efforts underway to identify and arrest other persons allegedly involved in the syndicate.
The Force reiterated its determination to disrupt networks involved in human trafficking and illegal organ harvesting and to protect vulnerable members of the public from exploitation.
The development comes amid renewed public concern over alleged kidney trafficking following claims made on social media by activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
Otse had alleged in a series of social media posts that a young man approached his organisation with a medical report indicating that his left kidney was missing.
He further claimed that the man had received payment following the alleged procedure and that attempts were subsequently made to alter his identity through legal documents.
The activist also alleged that other vulnerable youths in communities including Nyanya and Mararaba had been targeted by suspected agents and medical personnel.
He claimed that some of the allegedly harvested organs were sold for substantial sums, while those who underwent the procedures received only a small portion of the money.
The public allegations, alongside a petition reportedly submitted by the Vincent Ose Initiative, drew attention to suspected cases of organ trafficking.
Meanwhile, claims circulating online that virtually all young people in Nyanya, Mararaba, Karu and neighbouring communities had sold their kidneys were dismissed by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, said the police had neither received nor verified any report confirming such widespread organ harvesting.
The command urged members of the public to disregard unverified claims capable of causing panic, while encouraging anyone with credible information about suspected organ trafficking to report to the police or other appropriate authorities.