The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has uncovered an alleged human trafficking and kidney-harvesting network in Nasarawa State and arrested two nephrologists, a suspected recruiter and another man in an intelligence-led operation.
The Force said the suspects allegedly exploited financially vulnerable young Nigerians by recruiting them for medical procedures in which their kidneys were subsequently removed. Four people have so far been taken into custody as investigators probe the suspected network and trace other persons linked to the operation.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, said the arrests followed intelligence on the activities of the syndicate. He said operatives of the Force Special Tactical Squad conducted a sting operation at about 6 p.m. on August 19 at Auta Balifi in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
Those arrested were identified as Emmanuel Ode, 23; Dr Benjamin Oyime, 48; Dr Daniel Otukpa, 53; and David Idoko, 25.
Police identified Oyime as an Edo State indigene and a nephrologist reportedly serving as a consultant at Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja. Otukpa, a Benue State indigene, was also identified as a nephrologist and Acting Director of Clinical Services at the hospital.
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Investigators, the Force said, are examining allegations that the network targeted vulnerable and largely uneducated young people in Nasarawa and neighbouring areas.
Police said Ode admitted to recruiting victims. Investigators alleged that he took a 22-year-old man, Samuel Ezekiel, to Wellington Hospital on April 24, where the victim’s kidney was allegedly removed.
The Force said Ezekiel was allegedly paid $1,250, which it valued at about ₦1.7 million at the exchange rate cited by investigators.
A second alleged victim also surfaced during the inquiry. Police said the man told investigators that he had been recruited by the same agent in 2022 and taken to a hospital where one of his kidneys was allegedly removed. He reportedly received ₦7 million.
The investigation has also opened another strand of the case, involving alleged document forgery. Police said documents bearing victims’ names, National Identification Numbers, birth certificates, age declarations, affidavits, and consent letters were allegedly falsified to facilitate the medical procedures and give the transactions an appearance of legitimacy.
Clothes allegedly purchased with proceeds from the suspected activities were also recovered during the operation, the Force said.
Police said the allegations are still being investigated as detectives seek to determine the number of victims, establish the roles played by each suspect, and identify other participants in the network.
The Force said some persons allegedly connected to the operation had not been arrested and that efforts were underway to locate them.
It also reaffirmed its commitment to tackling human trafficking and organ harvesting, particularly crimes involving the exploitation of people facing severe financial hardship.
The police said the investigation would further examine the circumstances surrounding the recruitment of alleged victims, the medical procedures performed, payments made, and documentation used to facilitate them.
