The mother of 22-year-old Samuel Ezekiel has said she was unaware that her son’s kidney had allegedly been removed until someone called to inform her about the incident.

The woman said Ezekiel had been taken to a hospital in Abuja without her knowledge, where his kidney was allegedly harvested on April 24, 2026.

She said she immediately began making inquiries after receiving the call and later learnt that Ezekiel had been taken to the hospital by his friend, Emmanuel Ode.

“I was in the shop one day, and someone called me to say they heard that my son’s kidney had been removed,” she said while speaking to journalists on Friday.

According to the mother, she first contacted another of her sons to establish what had happened, but he initially said he was unaware of the incident.

She said she later learnt that her younger son knew Ezekiel had been taken to a hospital by Ode, after which she reported the matter to the police.

“So, later, he told me that the junior one told him that Emmanuel took him to a hospital and then went and removed his kidney. So, that was how I went to the police station to report the matter.”

The mother also said Ezekiel did not return home with any money following the alleged procedure.

Asked whether her son brought any money home, she said, “No, no, no.”

Ezekiel had earlier alleged that Ode deceived him into believing they were going to the hospital for another purpose before taking him to Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja.

The victim said Ode had assured him that losing a kidney would not affect his health or ability to live normally. He also alleged that his identity was changed to “Hassan Abubakar” during the process and that an affidavit was prepared at the Federal High Court before he was taken to the hospital.

The police later alleged that Ode recruited Ezekiel for the procedure and that his kidney was harvested for $1,250, equivalent to about N1.7m.

The Nigeria Police Force subsequently paraded Ode, two doctors and another suspect in connection with an alleged organ-harvesting and human-trafficking syndicate operating around Abuja and Nasarawa State.

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Those paraded were Ode, 23; Dr Benjamin Oyime, a 48-year-old nephrologist and consultant to Wellington Hospital; Dr Daniel Otukpa, a 53-year-old nephrologist and Acting Director of Clinical Services at the hospital; and David Idoko, 25.

The police said operatives of the Special Tactical Squad arrested the suspects during a sting operation at Auta Balefi, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, on August 19.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, said Ode allegedly confessed during interrogation to recruiting victims under false pretences.

Police investigators further alleged that the syndicate targeted vulnerable and uneducated young people, taking advantage of their financial difficulties to obtain consent for illegal organ harvesting.

They also alleged that documents used to facilitate the procedures, including victims’ names, National Identification Numbers, birth certificates, age declarations, affidavits and consent letters, were forged.

Ezekiel had earlier said the payment he received was made in US dollars and that he gave the money to Ode to keep for him before he entered the theatre.

He alleged that Ode later changed the money and spent part of it on two phones, two power banks and two Wi-Fi devices. According to Ezekiel, Ode gave him one of each item and kept the remaining ones.

The 22-year-old said he spent about a week in the hospital after the operation before being discharged. He said Ode then took him to a hotel, where they stayed for two days.

From there, Ezekiel said they travelled to Cross River State and remained there for almost three months.

He said he later asked Ode about the money but was told it had been spent. He further alleged that when they eventually ran out of money for transportation back to Abuja, Ode collected his phone and sold it to raise money for the journey.

The mother said she did not immediately realise that her son was missing because he had left her residence in Nyanya, Abuja, to stay with his father in Ota, Ogun State.

She said Ezekiel had completed secondary school, but the family could not afford to send him to another school at the time.

Instead, arrangements were made for him to acquire computer-related skills.

“When he finished secondary school, he came back. He was with my elder sister in our village, where he was going to school.

“When he finished school, he came back. At that time, I didn’t have money to send him to another school. So, we paid money for him to learn computer skills.

“That was how he went to his father’s side. He was with his father in Ota, Baale, learning computer skills. I had also put him with a Ghanaian man, where he was learning 3D and painting. So, that was how he left my side and went to Ota to learn computer skills,” she said.

The woman said she became more concerned about Ezekiel’s condition after the police instructed her to take him back to the hospital.

According to her, he had been walking around with the surgical stitches still in place, and the wound subsequently began producing pus.

“The police then said I should take him back to the hospital because he was walking around with the stitches without removing them. When it started producing pus, they said he should go back and have the stitches removed,” she said.

She said she subsequently took Ezekiel back to the hospital, where the stitches were removed.

The police said investigations into the alleged organ-harvesting syndicate are ongoing, with efforts being made to arrest other suspects allegedly linked to the network.

The Force said the investigation was part of its wider probe into alleged organ trafficking following allegations brought to public attention by social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.

The activist had earlier disclosed that a young man approached his NGO with a medical report indicating that his left kidney was missing.

According to the police, the investigation uncovered allegations involving vulnerable young people in communities around Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory.

The FCT Police Command, however, cautioned the public against spreading unverified claims following viral reports alleging widespread kidney selling among youths in Nyanya, Mararaba, Karu and neighbouring communities.