Lawyer to social media activist VeryDarkMan, Marshall Abubakar, has alleged that more than 10 young Nigerians may have been victims of an illegal kidney harvesting network involving medical practitioners and intermediaries.
Abubakar made the allegation on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Friday, claiming that vulnerable youths were recruited under the guise of medical procedures and later discovered that their kidneys had allegedly been removed.
He said the case came to light after a young man approached the Martin Luther King Centre, headed by VeryDarkMan, with a medical report indicating that his left kidney was missing.
According to the lawyer, the centre sought independent confirmation of the report from two hospitals in Abuja. He said a government medical facility in Jabi also confirmed that the young man had no left kidney.
Abubakar alleged that the man received about $1,300 after the procedure. He further claimed that steps were taken to obscure the circumstances surrounding the operation, including changing the victim’s identity and obtaining an affidavit in another name.
The lawyer said the centre had received information suggesting that other young people may have been exposed to similar procedures in areas including Masaka, Nyanya and Mararaba.
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Some of the alleged victims, he said, were recruited through agents who targeted young people considered vulnerable.
Abubakar also alleged that kidneys removed from victims were subsequently sold for between ₦50 million and ₦70 million, while those whose organs were allegedly taken received only a small portion of the money.
He characterised the alleged operation as a criminal enterprise and distinguished it from legitimate organ donation, which requires informed consent.
“Lawful organ donation requires informed consent and must not involve financial inducement,” Abubakar said.
He further alleged that relatives of some affected youths were not informed before the procedures and only learnt about what had allegedly happened after the cases surfaced.
The claims raise serious questions about consent, medical ethics, and the protection of vulnerable patients. However, the allegations presented by Abubakar have not, in the information available, been independently established by law-enforcement authorities or a court.
The lawyer’s account also places particular emphasis on the alleged involvement of medical personnel and intermediaries, rather than portraying the incidents as isolated medical errors.
The Martin Luther King Centre became involved after the young man reportedly sought assistance over the missing kidney. Abubakar said the centre subsequently undertook checks at hospitals to establish whether the medical report was accurate.
The allegations have yet to result, from the information provided, in a judicial finding establishing that the reported kidney removals occurred as described or identifying those responsible.
If substantiated, however, the claims would point to serious violations involving bodily autonomy, medical consent, and the protection of vulnerable Nigerians.
As it stands now, the allegations put the spotlight on the need for any investigation to establish what procedures were performed, who authorised them, whether patients gave informed consent and what happened to the organs allegedly removed.
