Police Arrest Four Suspects Over Kidney Trafficking in Nasarawa

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested four people linked to an organ trafficking and human harvesting ring in Nasarawa State.

The suspects are Emmanuel Ode, 23; Dr Benjamin Oyime, 48, a nephrologist at Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja; Dr Daniel Otukpa, 53, also a nephrologist and Acting Director of Clinical Services at the same hospital; and David Idoko, 25.

They were picked up by the Special Tactical Squad during a sting operation on August 19, 2026, in Auta Balifi, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

CSP Ani Iniedu, the Force Public Relations Officer, shared this information in a statement on Friday.

Iniedu revealed that Ode confessed during questioning to recruiting victims under false pretenses. He said, "On 24th April 2026, he lured one Samuel Ezekiel, 22, to Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja, where his kidney was allegedly harvested for the sum of $1,250 USD (One Thousand Two Hundred and Fifty US Dollars), equivalent to ₦1,700,000.00 (One Million Seven Hundred Thousand Naira) at the current exchange rate."

He also mentioned that another victim claimed he was tricked by Ode in 2022 into going to a hospital where his kidney was removed, and he received ₦7,000,000.00 (Seven Million Naira) for it.

The police stated that the suspects took advantage of the victims’ financial struggles to get their consent for illegal organ removal.

"Investigations revealed that the suspects and their accomplices targeted vulnerable and uneducated young people in Nasarawa State and nearby areas, exploiting their financial desperation to get approval for illegal organ harvesting."

The police found that the suspects forged official documents, including victims’ names, National Identification Numbers (NIN), birth certificates, age declarations, affidavits, and consent letters to carry out these crimes.

During the operation, police recovered clothes bought with money from these illegal activities as evidence.

The police mentioned that investigations are still ongoing to catch other suspects linked to the syndicate. They also promised to work hard to dismantle human trafficking and organ harvesting networks in the country and protect vulnerable people from being exploited.

PUNCH Online reports that this news comes after social media activist Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, raised alarms about kidney trafficking.

VeryDarkMan shared on social media that a young man approached his NGO with proof that he was missing a left kidney. The man was reportedly paid after the surgery, and there were attempts to change his identity using affidavits.

The activist claimed that some vulnerable youths in Nyanya and Mararaba were also targeted by agents and medical workers. He alleged that some of the harvested kidneys were sold, while the donors received only a small part of the money.

The activist’s warnings and a petition from the Vincent Ose Initiative helped draw police attention to these cases.

Around the same time, posts went viral on social media claiming that almost all young people in Nyanya, Mararaba, Karu, and surrounding areas had sold their kidneys, with an agent in Mararaba buying them.

However, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command said they had not received or confirmed any reports of such activities.

SP Josephine Adeh, the command’s spokesperson, stated they had "neither received nor confirmed any report of such nature" and that no official statement had come from the police.

The command asked the public to ignore unverified news to prevent fear and panic and urged anyone with solid information about suspected organ trafficking to report to the nearest police station.