A 29-year-old banker, Mallam Sabi’u Usman Saurayi, a resident of Nassarawa community in Gombe State capital, has narrated his narrow escape from organ harvesters who attempted to remove his kidney.

Organ harvesting or trafficking for money rituals remains prevalent in Nigeria. While some harvest people’s organs for rituals, others do so to sell to those in need of transplants.

Last week, the presence of such organ harvesters was noticed in Gombe State when they abducted the sick banker and attempted to harvest his kidney.

Recounting his experience yesterday, Sabi’u said he narrowly escaped death after being kidnapped, drugged, and held captive for his kidney. He revealed that his ordeal began when he fell ill with a fever and stopped a commercial motorcyclist, known as ‘Achaba’, to take him to the hospital. However, his condition worsened, causing the motorcyclist to drop him on the road to stabilise and look for another.

Sabi’u said he was later approached by a stranger who offered him a ride in his car. He added that he was initially comfortable entering the car because he heard the driver calling his name, which made him suspect they were an acquaintance.

The young man, who has worked with various banks, including Access Bank, Polaris Bank, and TAJ Bank, thought the driver was one of his customers and agreed to the ride.

Unbeknownst to him, the driver was not alone in the car, as there were two other men in the back seat who aided in his abduction.

“The two men in the back seat immediately pulled me to the centre and forced a long beanie over my head, covering my face. We drove for about 25 minutes. When the cap was finally removed, I found myself in an unfamiliar room with three men surrounding me.

“One of them, wearing a face mask and medical gloves, opened a kit, pulled out a syringe, and took my blood. He also forced me to give a saliva sample by pressing my jaw and collecting it in a small container. Then he asked for a urine sample.

“I told him I did not feel the urge, but he insisted. One of the men, a tall, heavy-set individual, struck me twice in the back. The pain and fear triggered an immediate urge, and I had no choice but to comply. I gave the sample. They offered me food, which I refused. I was scared and confused, still burning with fever.

“I noticed a wall clock; it was 11:20 a.m. They left me locked in the room and did not return until late that night, around 10:00 p.m., with food and water. Again, I refused to eat,” he narrated.

The captors collected his blood, saliva, and urine samples, apparently planning to harvest his kidney. According to him, a medical doctor was also involved in the sinister plot by reviewing his test results and scheduling surgery for Monday in Kaduna State. He said he was abducted last week Friday and escaped on Saturday night.

“When I realised they were planning to transport me to Kaduna to surgically remove my kidney and sell it, a wave of fear surged through me. My heart began to race uncontrollably. I knew, without a doubt, that I had to find a way to escape or I might not live to tell the story.

“That night, after they all left with the doctor, I gathered what little strength I had left and began inspecting the room. The doors were solid, and the windows were tightly secured with reinforced burglar-proof bars. Then, as I looked upward, I noticed the ceiling was made of a thin, rubber-like material, not as strong as the rest of the room,” he stated.

Determined to escape, Sabi’u waited until his captors left, then broke through the ceiling and crawled to freedom. He cautioned other residents of the state seeking medical help not to go out alone to prevent themselves from falling victim to such rogues taking advantage of their weaknesses.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Gombe State Police, Buhari Abdullahi, affirmed receiving reports on organ harvesting in the state. According to him, there was a tragic and deeply disturbing criminal case involving the alleged abduction and gruesome killing of a six-year-old boy, Muhammad Ibrahim Bulama, a resident of Bura-Bunga village in Bojude, Gombe State, by eight suspects. He said the suspects confessed to committing the heinous act for money-making purposes (money ritual).

“Sometime in mid-February 2025, the grandfather of the deceased discovered that the boy had not slept in the house. His absence sparked immediate concern, and a search commenced.

“Two suspects were arrested and transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad for further investigation,” he said. He added that, acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the police swung into action and successfully arrested an additional six suspects in connection with the heinous crime.

Buhari stated that one of the suspects confessed to having received the victim from his accomplice and slaughtered him with a knife in the bush at the Wuro-Doya area. They further divided the body into two equal parts, dumping the upper half (from the waist upwards) into a well and handing over the lower half (from the waist downwards) to his crime partner.

He urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to cooperate with security agencies by providing useful information that can aid in combating criminal activities across the state. (The Guardian, but headline rejigged)