A 22-year-old, Samuel Ezekiel, has narrated how a trusted friend allegedly lured him into a kidney-harvesting scheme, changed his identity and later spent part of the money paid for the procedure on mobile phones and other electronic gadgets.
Ezekiel made the allegations while speaking to journalists during the parade of suspects arrested in connection with an alleged organ-harvesting syndicate operating in Abuja and Nasarawa State.
The suspects were recently arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force during a sting operation.
According to the victim, his friend, Emmanuel Odeh, convinced him to accompany him to a hospital without fully explaining the purpose of the visit.
“It was my friend that deceived me,” Ezekiel said, alleging that he trusted Odeh and usually followed his instructions.
He claimed that Odeh later introduced him to another man identified as David, who took him to an agent known as Ben for medical tests.
After an initial compatibility test reportedly failed, the victim said he was informed that another recipient had been found whose medical profile matched his.
Ezekiel alleged that the syndicate subsequently changed his identity to “Hassan Abubakar” and took him to a Federal High Court where an affidavit was prepared before he was moved to Wellington Hospital in Abuja for the procedure.
The victim said he signed documents at the hospital and was later paid in US dollars before undergoing surgery on April 24, 2026. He claimed he handed the money to Odeh for safekeeping before entering the operating theatre.
However, he alleged that after the operation, his friend exchanged the money and used part of it to purchase two mobile phones, two power banks and two Wi-Fi devices, giving him one of each item while keeping the others.
Ezekiel further claimed that they spent about a week in the hospital before being discharged and taken to a hotel for two days.
He said Odeh later took him to Cross River State, where they stayed for nearly three months. When he eventually demanded his money, he was allegedly told it had all been spent.
According to the victim, the situation worsened when his friend allegedly sold his phone to raise transport fare back to Abuja after they ran out of cash.
The allegations emerged as the police intensified investigations into an alleged organ-harvesting network.
Among those paraded by the police were two medical doctors and other suspected recruiters accused of facilitating illegal kidney removals through forged documents and false representations.
Police spokesperson CSP Ani Iniedu said investigations were ongoing and that efforts were being made to apprehend other members of the syndicate.
The case gained public attention after activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, raised concerns over a young man who allegedly discovered that one of his kidneys had been removed.
