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 same section(2)(b).
The defendants however pleaded not guilty.
Mr 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 on the hearing.
Adeboju’s motion filed on March 13 was supported with 11 paragraphs affidavit with a written address and urged the court to adopt 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.
”Otabor is on bail earlier granted by Justice Hamza Muazu and i urged the court to grant same.The defendants are responsible persons whom run businesses and families and have been diligently honouring NAPTIP’s invitation,” Osigwe said.
He urged the court to adopt the same administrative bail conditions that was granted to the defendants by NAPTIP.
The prosecution however did not oppose the bail application but applied for accelerated hearing on the matter.
He 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 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 however 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 to the court’s 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 May 9 after which hearing continues May 13.(NAN)