Abuja-based Wellington Clinics has denied allegations that it was involved in a transactional kidney transplant linked to an alleged organ-harvesting and human-trafficking syndicate under investigation by the Nigeria Police Force.
The hospital said it neither participated in nor benefited from any financial arrangement involving the donor or recipient of a kidney transplant conducted at its facility on April 24, 2026.
It also announced the suspension of all renal transplant-related services while investigations into the circumstances surrounding the procedure continue.
The development follows the arrest and parade of four suspects by the police, including two medical doctors associated with the hospital. The suspects were linked to allegations surrounding the removal of a kidney from a 22-year-old man identified by the police as Samuel Ezekiel.
Police alleged that Ezekiel was deceived into undergoing the procedure and was paid $1,250, estimated at about N1.7 million, for his kidney.
However, Wellington Clinics said its records identified the donor as Abubakar Hassan, adding that the transplant was performed by a specialist team led by Dr Benjamin Oyimeh, a Senior Consultant Nephrologist and Chief Executive Officer of Crown Medical and Kidney Centre.
In a statement signed by its Director of Administration, Yemi Olatunbosun, and released to journalists on Tuesday, the hospital explained that its role was restricted to providing an equipped theatre and suitable facilities for the operation under an agreed rental arrangement.
“Wellington Clinics did not participate, facilitate, negotiate, or benefit from any transactional arrangements,” the hospital stated.
The clinic said the procedure was conducted under the supervision of a licensed senior consultant nephrologist, while the specialist team remained responsible for the donor and recipient throughout the process.
It explained that under its collaboration arrangement with specialist medical teams, the lead consultant handles patient recruitment, clinical assessments, donor-recipient compatibility checks, informed consent, ethical screening and other clinical and medico-legal responsibilities.
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The hospital added that the consultant and his team were responsible for ensuring compliance with the National Health Act 2014 and relevant guidelines issued by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
According to Wellington, the donor was admitted on April 24 as a scheduled kidney donor and underwent a left donor nephrectomy the same day. The removed kidney was subsequently transplanted into a patient diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure.
The hospital stressed that neither the donor nor the recipient died following the operation.
Wellington said the donor presented several documents during admission, including a court affidavit, a digital National Identification Number slip, a birth certificate issued by the National Population Commission, an affidavit of consent and a statutory declaration of age.
He was also accompanied by a man identified as Abubakar Isa, who was introduced as his brother.
The hospital’s records showed that the donor was registered as Abubakar Hassan, with a date of birth of February 4, 2000, and hospital number WCA/8066/2026.
He was discharged on April 28, four days after the operation.
The clinic said the donor returned to the facility on July 11 for wound management and removal of remaining stitches and was discharged two days later.
According to the hospital, the donor had explained that he had travelled and was consequently unable to attend some of his previously scheduled follow-up appointments.
The hospital’s account differs from the police allegation that the donor’s actual name was Samuel Ezekiel and that his identity was allegedly altered to facilitate the kidney removal.
The ongoing police investigation is focused on allegations that vulnerable young people were recruited through deception and that their documents were manipulated to facilitate organ removal.
Wellington maintained that there was nothing at the time of admission to suggest that the documents presented by the donor were fraudulent or that his identity had been deliberately misrepresented.
“Since the records department of Wellington relied on the above documents submitted on admission, as per the current level of practice, we were not aware or suspicious of any misrepresentation or manipulation of identity at the time,” the clinic said.
It further stated that it had no independent information indicating that a financial or transactional relationship existed between the nephrology team, donor, recipient or anyone else connected to the transplant.
The hospital argued that its responsibilities did not include conducting forensic investigations into the private relationship between donors and recipients beyond reviewing the identification documents, declarations and other records submitted during the medical process.
It said the donor was therefore treated as a consenting adult donor based on the information available to the facility.
Wellington also denied having any knowledge of the alleged payment for the kidney, saying its understanding was that the transplant was being carried out to save the life of a patient suffering from end-stage kidney disease.
Despite its denial of wrongdoing, the hospital said it considered the allegations serious enough to suspend its renal transplant-related services pending the outcome of the investigation.
The clinic said it was “cooperating fully with the relevant investigative authorities probing the circumstances surrounding the kidney transplant.”
It added that it would respect the findings of the investigation and any decisions arising from it.
“We remain committed to ethical and evidence-based healthcare and will continue to cooperate with all relevant investigative and regulatory authorities,” the hospital stated.
The case has renewed attention on ethical standards within Nigeria’s organ-transplantation sector.
In March 2025, the Federal Government introduced the Standards and Guidelines for Establishing and Coordinating Organ/Tissue Transplantation Services in Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen transparency, accountability and safeguards for donors and recipients.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said the framework was developed in response to concerns about unethical practices in organ transplantation, with emphasis on areas such as donor protection, patient safety, ethics, minimum standards and regulatory compliance.
The then Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Salako, said at the launch that the framework was intended to regulate organ and tissue transplantation and restore public confidence in the sector.
The ministry also announced plans to map and certify facilities involved in organ donation and transplantation and establish an organ donation and transplantation registry and banking system.
The renewed scrutiny follows broader concerns over the exploitation of vulnerable people in connection with organ transplantation in Nigeria.
Under provisions of the National Health Act, the use and allocation of human organs for transplantation are regulated, while certain violations, including charging a fee for a human organ, attract criminal sanctions.
The police investigation gained national attention after allegations emerged that 22-year-old Samuel Ezekiel was recruited and taken to Wellington Clinics in Life Camp, Abuja, for kidney removal.
The police subsequently announced the arrest of Emmanuel Ode, Dr Benjamin Oyimeh, Dr Daniel Otukpa and David Idoko over the alleged organ-harvesting and human-trafficking network.
The culpability of the hospital, the doctors and other individuals connected to the transplant has not been finally determined, as investigations and due process remain ongoing.