Michael Olugbode in Abuja
An Abuja-based private hospital, Alliance Hospital and Service Ltd and four of its staff, have been arraigned by National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP) on an 11-count charge bordering on alleged involvement in organ harvesting
They were all charged in contravention of Section 20 (3) of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition), Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
Reading their charge at their arraignment yesterday, Justice Keziah Ogbonnaya of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, said between February and May of 2023, the accused allegedly played a part in the harvesting of the kidneys of three young males including two minors.
In their plea, the defendants, Emmanuel Muyiwa Olorunlaye, Chikaodili Ugochukwu, Dr Christopher Otabor, Dr Aremu Abayomi, and Alliance Hospital pleaded not guilty to the 11-count charge preferred against them.
Upon taking their plea, the trial judge, Keziah Ogbonnaya, granted the defendants bail ahead of commencement of trial on May 6th.
Among the bail conditions was that all four defendants report at the Abuja office of NAPTIP daily from Tuesday 19th March, except on days of hearing of the matter. They were also ordered to deposit their travel documents.
Counsel for NAPTIP and Director Legal and Prosecution, Hassan Tahir, did not oppose the defendants bail application by their counsel, he however, prayed the court for accelerated hearing to lay the matter to rest, a prayer which the judge granted.
Tahir, who later spoke to journalists, said: “Everybody is entitled to bail and it is a bailable offence so we don’t want to waste time opposing bail, it will be unnecessary for us to waste time opposing bail.”
