A man has recounted how his friend, Emmanuel Odeh, allegedly deceived him into donating one of his kidneys, collected the money paid for the procedure and later squandered it.
According to the man, Emmanuel introduced him to David, who subsequently connected them with an agent identified as Ben. After medical tests showed that his kidney was not a match for the intended recipient, Emmanuel contacted Ben again, who later informed them that a compatible recipient had been found.
He said Ben told him that his name would be changed to Hassan Abubakar.
“Ben then said that they were going to change my name, that I would be bearing Hassan Abubakar,” he said.
The man said they were taken to the Federal High Court, where an affidavit was prepared, before proceeding to Wellington Clinic in Life Camp, Abuja.
He said they were given money in dollars at about 10 or 11pm.
“When I was going into the theatre, I gave Emmanuel the money to hold for me,” he recounted.
According to him, Emmanuel later changed the money and purchased two phones, two power banks and two Wi-Fi devices, giving him one of each.
He said they spent almost a week at the hospital before Emmanuel took him to a hotel and later transported him to Cross River State, where they stayed for almost three months.
The man said he eventually asked Emmanuel about the money he had been paid.
“I asked him, ‘Where is the money?’ He told me that the money had finished,” he said.
He added that Emmanuel claimed they did not have enough money for transportation back to Abuja and eventually sold his phone to raise the fare.
When asked whether Emmanuel had squandered the money, he replied, “Yes, ma.”
The man said Emmanuel had informed him that his kidney would be removed but assured him that the procedure would not cause him any serious problems.
“He just told me that it’s something that they’ll just remove, that there is no issue in there, that if they remove it, I can still do everything that I want to do and that I will not have any issue,” he said.
He confirmed that he was aware of the kidney donation and had consented to it. He said the procedure took place sometime in April and that he was given $100 and $150, although he could not confirm the exact total amount he received.
