The Medical Director of Alliance Hospital, Christopher Otabor, and three others were on Monday docked in the FCT High Court, Zuba for alleged organ harvesting.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) also charged Emmanuel Olorunlaye, Chikaodili Ugochukwu and Dr. Aremu Abayomi with 11 counts bordering on organ harvesting.
The prosecuting counsel, Hassan Tahir, alleged that Olorunlaye procured two 17-year-old boys and a 25-year-old man, Aminu Yahuza, for the removal of their kidneys at the said hospital located in Area 11, Garki, Abuja sometime in February 2023.
Tahir said that Ugochukwu, an Administrative Secretary at the hospital, assisted in the removal of the kidneys of the victims in the said hospital.
The prosecution further alleged that Otabor accommodated the victims at Alliance Hospital for the removal of their kidneys, while Abayomi, a surgeon at the hospital, performed the operations.
The offence, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 20(2)(a)(3) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015 and punishable under the same section (2)(b).
The defendants however pleaded not guilty.
Richard Adeboju, the defence counsel to Olorunlaye, moved a motion for bail pursuant to Section 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act(ACJA), seeking for bail pending the hearing.
Adeboju’s motion, filed on March 13, was supported with an 11 paragraphs affidavit with a written address and urged the court to adopt the same as his oral submission and grant the application.
Afam Osigwe (SAN), the defence counsel to the other defendants, filed a bail application dated March 13 with 35 paragraphs affidavit, seeking an order of the court admitting the defendants to bail.
Osigwe said: “Otabor is on bail earlier granted by Justice Hamza Muazu and I urge the court to grant the same.
“The defendants are responsible persons who run businesses and families and have been diligently honouring NAPTIP’s invitation.”
He urged the court to adopt the same administrative bail conditions that were granted to the defendants by NAPTIP.
The prosecution did not oppose the bail application, but applied for accelerated hearing on the matter.
Tahir cited Section 165 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) saying that the court may impose its own conditions and does not have to be the same conditions for bail given by NAPTIP.
Delivering a ruling, Justice Kezziah Ogbonnaya held that judicially, administrative bail fizzles out upon arraignment and cannot determine the court’s bail.
Ogbonnaya ordered the defendants to sign a register on a daily basis at the NAPTIP headquarters, starting from March 19, except the day for hearing in court.
She also ordered the defendants to deposit their travel documents with the court registrar and warned the defendants to adhere to the order or risk their bail being revoked.
She adjourned the matter for accelerated hearing from May 6 to 9, after which hearing continues May 13, 2024.
