A man identified as Aondoaseer Agbadu, has been docked at a Magistrate’s Court sitting in Makurdi, Benue State for allegedly harvesting the kidney of a 17-year-old boy.
He was said to have lured the victim, Terungwa Swati under false pretense to Abuja, where he harvested and sold his organ without his consent or that of his parents.
Benue Police Command arraigned the 20-year-old suspect on Thursday, 14th of September 2023, over conspiracy on organ harvesting.
Agbadu’s accomplices were said to have fled when the father of the victim reported the case at Aliade police station in the Gwer East Local Government Area of the state.
The Police prosecutor, Insp. Godwin Ato, told the court that one Alexander Swati of the opposite Benue Internal Revenue Service office, Aliade, reported a case at the police station on August 27.
Ato said that the case was later transferred from the Divisional Police Headquarters, Aliade, to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Makurdi, via letter No. AR: 3100/BNS/AL/VOL.4/258, dated August 30.
The prosecutor added that sometime in April 2023, one Aondoaseer Agbadu of opposite Union Bank, Aliade, criminally conspired with others now at large, deceived, and took his 17-year-old son, Terungwa Swati, to Abuja.
He explained that while in Abuja, they operated on Terungwa, harvested one of his kidneys, and sold it to another person without consent.
Ato said during the police investigation, Agbadu was arrested for committing the crime, while others are still at large. He said the accused contravened Sections 27 and 20 (1), (2), and (3) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015. He said the investigation into the matter was still ongoing and requested additional time to complete it.
However, no plea was taken for want of jurisdiction.
The Magistrate, Mr. Taribo Atta, remanded the accused at the Federal Maximum Correctional Centre, Makurdi, and adjourned the case to October 23 for further mention.
