Father, pastors arrested in Rivers after disabled son’s death in organ trafficking attempt
In the Port Harcourt area of Rivers State, men from the local vigilance group, ONELGA OSPAC, have apprehended a father named Ejike Wilson and two pastors in connection with the tragic death of Ejike’s 24-year-old disabled son, Lucky Wilson.
The young man reportedly lost his life during a surgery aimed at removing his hunchback for potential sale to suspected organ traffickers.
An officer from the Planning and Advisory Committee of the OSPAC security group confirmed this incident on Sunday, September 10, 2023. According to the officer, the suspects were caught while attempting to flee Port Harcourt.
One of the suspects, identified as Olatoye Olawale, 54, claimed to be the pastor of a new generation church in Osiakpo, near Omoku in the state.
Olatoye disclosed that Lucky was entrusted to him by his father, Ejike, and Ejike’s younger brother, Pastor Paul Osiagor Wilson.
During interrogation, Olatoye revealed that the duo had brought Lucky to him for a surgical operation with the intention of extracting ‘mercury’ from his hunchback.
He explained: “Paul said his brother (Ejike) had a son who had a hunchback which he was planning to do away with. I asked him why, and he said the boy was a thief; the boy was this and that. He said when the boy was much younger, the father attempted to sell him, but it didn’t work out well.
“He asked whether I knew the people who could take up the boy. I told him that I would make inquiries.”
Olatoye further explained that they all agreed on a surgical procedure and contacted an associate in Abeokuta, Ogun State, who had promised to pay N10 million for the ‘mercury’ extracted from the victim’s hunchback.
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“The boy in question (Lucky) even came to meet me, begging me that if the hunchback could be removed, I should help him. He said he wanted to be like a normal human being.
“I told them that he might not survive the procedure, but he said he would survive it. That was when we fixed a date for us to travel for the procedure.
“My first contact was an NGO in Owerri, Imo State, which said they would extract the ‘mercury’ and pay us N5m. I asked him what would be our own percentage. At last, both Paul and Ejike accepted the N5m offer, but the NGO didn’t show up again.”
Subsequently, Olatoye reached out to another contact in Abeokuta, Ogun State, who agreed to pay N10 million but with the payment spread over two or three months. All parties accepted this arrangement.
He noted that the victim’s father, Ejike, kept visiting his office and disturbing him.
“The day we travelled for the surgery in Lagos before heading to Abeokuta, Ejike handed over the boy to me and Paul gave me N15,000 for transportation
“At the hospital, I called the father because of the document we were to sign, but he told me to go ahead and sign on his behalf. The operation was carried out, but in the end, the boy couldn’t make it,” he added.
Ejike’s brother, Paul, 38, expressed sadness at the incident, but denied any involvement, saying he only introduced Olawale to his brother
He stated thereafter he was not involved in their subsequent discussion with Olawale and his brother, even as he also denied giving them transport as claimed by Pastor Olawale.
The OSPAC Commander, Felix Nwobakata, while addressing newsmen, said the arrest would serve as a deterrent to anyone trying to indulge in ritual acts.
Speaking through his media aide, Obed Douglas, he confirmed the arrest, adding that the two pastors and the victim’s father had been arrested.
“All three suspects have been handed over to the Assistant Inspector General, Monitoring Unit, Zone 16, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, for further investigation and prosecution.”
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