No Organ Harvesting at EKSUTH,Says NMA as Ekiti Govt Backs Kidney Patient

Ado-Ekiti, December 25, 2025 – The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Ekiti State Branch, has firmly dismissed viral allegations of organ harvesting at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), describing them as “false, misleading, and grossly misrepresented.” The body’s intervention comes amid a storm of public outrage following a botched kidney surgery on Mr. Joshua Afolayan, whose healthy kidney was reportedly removed instead of a damaged one from a prior accident.

In a detailed press statement signed by Chairman Dr. Ifedayo Oreyemi and Secretary Dr. Oluwatobi Akinluyi, the NMA clarified that the removed kidney was “formally handed over to the patient’s wife inside the operating theatre” and transported by her to the pathology lab for evaluation. The specimen, they emphasized, remains securely within the hospital under strict medical, ethical, and legal protocols. “No organ was willfully, secretly, or illicitly removed for any purpose other than legitimate medical care,” the statement read.

Patient’s Ordeal and Government Response

Mr. Afolayan, who suffered kidney damage in a July accident, sought treatment at EKSUTH for removal of the affected organ. Post-surgery, he noticed he could no longer urinate effortlessly – a stark contrast to before the procedure. Subsequent tests confirmed the surgeon had excised his functioning kidney, sparking health complications and suspicions of foul play, including organ trafficking.

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The Ekiti State Government swiftly acted, approving the unnamed surgeon’s dismissal and pledging to fund Afolayan’s kidney transplant. Health Commissioner Dr. Oyebanji Filani announced the state would cover all costs for the procedure and ongoing care, a move the NMA commended as “compassionate.”

Recent online reports, including from Punch and Vanguard (dated December 20-24, 2025), corroborate the patient’s claims of inadequate consent and post-op distress. Social media erupted with #EKSUTHOrganHarvesting, amplifying unverified narratives. However, NMA countered that the case involved a “rare congenital kidney anomaly” demanding real-time surgical decisions to save the patient’s life – a complexity documented in global medical literature.

NMA Slams Dismissal,Warns of Health Worker Exodus

The association condemned the surgeon’s dismissal and suspension of resident doctors and theatre staff without due process or panel hearings. “This gives the impression of predetermined outcomes without broad professional input,” it stated, warning of plummeting morale, locum consultant withdrawals, and potential mass resignations in surgery – threatening EKSUTH’s service delivery.

NMA highlighted inconsistencies: past assaults on doctors at state facilities drew less urgency than this case, fostering perceptions of inadequate worker protection. It demanded immediate reversal of the dismissals and suspensions, urging expert-led probes over media-driven reactions.

Calls for Systemic Reforms

To avert future crises, NMA proposed:

• An independent panel with medical specialists.
• Mandatory due process for disciplining health workers.
• Protocols for communicating sensitive cases.
• Stronger safeguards against harassment.
• Ongoing government-hospital-NMA collaboration.

The body reaffirmed commitments to patient safety, ethical practice, and healthcare improvement, urging media and the public to verify facts before sensationalism.

Ekiti Government’s prompt patient support has eased some tensions, but the saga underscores Nigeria’s fragile trust in public health amid frequent surgical mishaps. As of today, no updates confirm the kidney specimen’s pathology results or transplant timeline, per hospital sources