Atiku Reacts as Nigerian Police Bust Alleged Kidney Harvesting Syndicate, Mentions Tinubu
- Nigeria Police Force arrested four suspects, including two nephrologists, over an alleged organ-harvesting ring in Nasarawa state
- The sting operation in August in Karu LGA followed intelligence on a syndicate allegedly recruiting young Nigerians for kidney removal
- Opposition leader Atiku Abubakar reacted to the scandal by linking it to the cost-of-living crisis under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Nigeria Police Force operatives from the Special Tactical Squad (STS) arrested four suspects on August 19 during a sting operation in Auta Balifi, Karu Local Government Area (LGA) of Nasarawa state, over their alleged involvement in an organ-harvesting and enslavement syndicate.
Legit.ng reports that the suspects are Emmanuel Ode, 23; Dr Benjamin Oyime, 48, a nephrologist and consultant to Wellington Hospital in Life Camp, Abuja; Dr Daniel Otukpa, 53, also a nephrologist and Acting Director of Clinical Services at the same hospital; and David Idoko, 25. Police said Ode allegedly recruited vulnerable young people using false promises before directing them to hospitals where their kidneys were reportedly removed.
Source: Facebook
Atiku ties kidney scandal to Tinubu's policies
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, now the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), responded to the reports on Friday, September 4, through his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, placing the responsibility at the feet of President Bola Tinubu's government.
Atiku wrote:
"I have heard disturbing stories about the extent to which young Nigerians are being driven simply to survive. Perhaps the most horrifying are the growing reports of young people selling parts of their bodies: kidneys in particular, in desperate attempts to raise money."
He said young Nigerians are reportedly parting with their kidneys for as little as N1.7 million, a figure he described as a symptom of deeper economic collapse rather than criminal opportunism alone.
"In Tinubu's Nigeria, almost everything required to live with dignity is becoming more expensive by the day: food, transport, rent, school fees, medicine and electricity," he wrote.
"When young Nigerians begin to see their kidneys as emergency savings, we are no longer talking about ordinary economic hardship. We are talking about desperation at its most frightening."
The ADC chieftain acknowledged that Nigeria already has laws prohibiting commercial organ sales and crime but argued that legislation alone cannot address the conditions that make vulnerable young people targets for criminal networks.
"No government should celebrate 'reforms' while young Nigerians are being reduced to selling parts of themselves to eat, pay rent, settle school fees or survive," he added. "Economic reform must have a human face."
He closed his statement with a direct contrast between his position and the current administration's record:
"Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again."
View Atiku’s stance on the situation in Nigeria below via X:
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Atiku camp challenges Tinubu’s 2027 prediction
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Atiku's spokesperson, Paul Ibe, dismissed a Political Intelligence Group (PIG) of Politico.ng projection that put President Tinubu ahead in the 2027 presidential race.
In a statement, Atiku's camp questioned the credibility and transparency of the forecast.
Source: Legit.ng
