Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Wellington Clinics in Abuja has denied any involvement in illegal transactional organ harvesting involving a kidney donor, Mr. Abubakar Hassan.
The hospital was alleged to have engaged in illegal harvesting and transplant of kidney that involved one Mr. Abubakar Hassan for which the Nigerian Police has launched an investigation.
THISDAY gathered that the Nigeria Police Force is currently investigating the matter and will soon make its finding public.
The development comes amid growing concerns over alleged unethical practices in organ transplantation and the need for stronger safeguards to protect vulnerable donors and recipients
Regarding the allegation, Wellington hospital said the donor nephrectomy was performed at the facility under the supervision of a licensed senior consultant nephrologist.
It said that all its activities are guided strictly by professional ethics including compliance with the National Health Act 2014 and guidelines of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN.
It explained the real name of the kidney donor is Mr. Samuel Ezekiel who went to depose to an affidavit before FCT High Court to hide his identity and falsely changed his name to Mr. Hassan Abubakar.
In a statement signed by its Director of Administration, Mr. Yemi Olatunbosun, and made available to journalists on Tuesday, Wellington said it is cooperating fully with the relevant investigative authorities probing the circumstances surrounding the kidney transplant.
”It is instructive to note that the real name of the kidney donor is Mr. Samuel Ezekiel who went to depose to an affidavit before FCT High Court to hide his identity and falsely changed his name to Mr. Hassan Abubakar.
”The Nigeria Police Force is currently investigating the matter and will soon make its finding public,” it said.
The hospital denied any participation in facilitating, negotiating or benefiting from any alleged financial transaction relating to the organ transplant on the grounds that it was strictly to save the life of a patient from a willing donor.
“Wellington Clinics did not participate, facilitate, negotiate, or benefit from any transactional arrangements,” the statement said, adding the facility had relied on the documents and attestations presented by the donor and the medical team.
The management maintained that it had no independent means, or legal duty, to conduct forensic investigations into the relationship between the donor and recipient beyond the identification documents and declarations presented.
It said there was no indication at the time of admission that the documents submitted were false or that the donor had misrepresented his identity.
“Since the records department of the 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 stated.
The hospital also said it was unaware of any financial or other transactional relationship between the nephrology team, the donor or any other person connected to the case.
It added the donor was recorded in its records simply as a consenting adult donor.
According to the management of the clinic, Hassan was admitted on April 24, 2026, as a scheduled kidney donor with the observation of relevant procedures and underwent a left donor nephrectomy on the same day.
It said the surgery was performed by a team led by Dr. Benjamin Friday Oyimeh, a Senior Consultant Nephrologist and Chief Executive Officer of Crown Medical and Kidney Centre.
Olatunbosun explained that with its modern equipment and conducive environment, the role of the hospital was limited to providing an equipped environment and operating theatre for the procedure under a pre-agreed facility rental arrangement.
He said that under its collaboration model with specialist teams, the lead consultant retains full responsibility for patient recruitment, clinical evaluation, donor-recipient compatibility assessment, informed consent, ethical screening and other clinical and medico-legal matters.
The statement noted the consultant and his team were therefore responsible for all aspects of the donor and recipient’s care, including compliance with the National Health Act 2014 and guidelines of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
The hospital also disclosed that Hassan presented several documents upon admission, including a court affidavit, digital National Identification Number (NIN) slip, birth certificate issued by the National Population Commission (NPC), affidavit of consent and statutory declaration of age.
It added that Hassan was also accompanied by a man identified as Abubakar Isa, whom he described as his brother.
The Director of Administration said Wellington hospital’s records showed that Hassan was admitted under the name Abubakar Hassan, with a date of birth of February 4, 2000, and hospital number WCA/8066/2026.
Olatunbosun also stated that Hassan was discharged on April 28, four days after the procedure.
The hospital further disclosed that Hassan was readmitted on July 11 for wound management and removal of residual stitches and discharged on July 13.
According to the statement, the donor had reported that he had travelled and was therefore unable to attend earlier scheduled follow-up appointments.
Wellington Clinics said the kidney removed from the donor was transplanted immediately into a patient suffering from end-stage kidney failure.
It however stressed that neither the donor nor recipient died as a result of the operation.
Following the discovery of the allegations, Wellington Clinics said it had immediately suspended all renal transplant-related services pending the outcome of investigations.
The facility said it remained committed to ethical and evidence-based healthcare and would continue to cooperate with all relevant investigative and regulatory authorities.
Wellington also pledged to abide by the outcome of the ongoing investigations into the matter.
The hospital further disclosed that its model of practice is designed to enable specialist teams to provide highly specialised medical services while ensuring that the consultants responsible for such services remained accountable for their clinical and ethical decisions.
It said its primary responsibility is to provide the infrastructure, equipment and an enabling environment for safe patient care in accordance with acceptable international standards.
Wellington Clinics therefore urged the relevant authorities to consider the records and documents submitted by the hospital as part of their investigations, saying that the information could help clarify its role in the kidney transplant case.
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