Organ Harvesting: National Assembly Orders CEO Of Alliance Hospital, Others To Face The Court

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has ordered the defendants to return to court and defend themselves in the ongoing organ harvesting case filed by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) against Alliance Hospital CEO Dr. Christopher Otabor and three others.

In the suit Federal Government of Nigeria vs Alliance Hospital & Services, NAPTIP had arraigned Dr. Christopher Otabor, 51, and three others before a High Court of the FCT sitting in Zuba, presided over by Hon. Justice Ogbonnaya, on March 18, 2024, for alleged organ (kidney) harvest.

He is joined by Emmanuel Olorunlaye, a 36-year-old male, Chikaodili Ugochukwu, a 37-year-old female, and Dr. Aremu Abayomi, a 43-year-old man.

Currently on court bail the defendants have been ordered to report to NAPTIP Headquarters in Abuja daily and surrender their travel documents to the court.

Their arraignment came after months of thorough investigation, during which a prima facie case was established against them, implicating them in varying degrees of culpability for organ harvesting offences, as stipulated by Section 20 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act of 2015.

The aggrieved medical doctor, Christopher Otabor, petitioned the House Committee on Public Petitions for Redress in the National Assembly, challenging the agency’s detention of him during the investigation.

As part of its legislative duties, the Committee invited NAPTIP’s management to appear before it last Thursday.

Mr. Hassan Tahir, Director of NAPTIP’s Legal and Prosecution Department, informed the Committee in his brief submission that the matter was sub judice because the case was already pending before a court of competent jurisdiction, and all of the defendants, including the petitioner, had already entered a plea, with the trial scheduled to begin on May 6th, 2024.

In his decision, the Chairman of the Committee, Honourable Mike Etaba, directed the complainant to return to court and face the charges against him, ultimately dismissing the petition.

According to NAPTIP’s Communication Officer, Vincent Adekoye, this decision “reinforces the commitment to due process and legal proceedings in dealing with serious allegations like organ harvesting.”