In the ongoing case involving the Alliance Hospital and Services Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Christopher Otabor, and three others over an alleged organ harvest, the House of Representative Committee on Public Petitions, has ordered the defendants to go back to court and defend themselves.
This was contained in a statement by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Communication Officer, yesterday.
The statement by Adekoye Vincent said: “It will be recalled that NAPTIP had arraigned the 51-year-old, Dr. Christopher Otabor, and three others before a High Court of the FCT sitting at Zuba, before Justice Ogbonnaya, for alleged organ (kidney) harvest on 18 March 2024.
“Arranged with him are Emmanuel Olorunlaye, male (36 years), Chikaodili Ugochukwu, female (37 years), and Dr. Aremu Abayomi, male (43 years).
“Currently on court bail, the defendants have been ordered to report to NAPTIP headquarters in Abuja daily and surrender their travel documents to the court.
“Their arraignment followed months of thorough investigation during when a prima facie case was established against the defendants, implicating them in varying degrees of culpability for offences related to organ harvesting, as stipulated under section 20 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
“The aggrieved medical doctor, Christopher Otabor had sought redress at the National Assembly challenging his detention by the agency during the investigative process through a petition to the House Committee on Public Petitions. The Committee in exercise of its legislative duties, subsequently invited the Management of NAPTIP to appear before it on 18 April 2024.
“In his brief submission, the Director, Legal and Prosecution Department of NAPTIP, Mr Hassan Tahir, informed the committee that the matter was sub judice as the case was already pending before a court of competent jurisdiction and all the defendants including the petitioner had already taken their plea. The trial is scheduled to begin on 6 May 2024.
