The lawyer to social media influencer VeryDarkMan, Marshall Abubakar, has alleged that vulnerable young Nigerians are being lured into illegal kidney harvesting schemes by medical practitioners and their agents under the guise of medical procedures.

According to Abubakar, more than 10 young Nigerians may have fallen victim to an alleged illegal kidney harvesting network involving medical practitioners and their agents.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Friday, Abubakar said the case came to light after a young man approached the Martin Luther King Centre, headed by VeryDarkMan, with a medical report indicating that his left kidney was missing.

He said the centre independently verified the report at two hospitals in Abuja, including a government medical facility in Jabi, where the absence of the young man’s left kidney was reportedly confirmed.

He said the young man was allegedly given about $1,300 after the procedure, while his identity was changed and an affidavit obtained in another name in an attempt to conceal the circumstances surrounding the operation.

Abubakar further alleged that other youths had been similarly targeted around Masaka, Nyanya and Mararaba, with some allegedly recruited through agents.

He claimed that kidneys harvested from some victims were subsequently sold for between ₦50 million and ₦70 million, while the donors received only a fraction of the proceeds.

Abubakar described the alleged practice as a criminal enterprise, stressing that lawful organ donation requires informed consent and must not involve financial inducement.

He also alleged that the families of the affected youths were not informed before the procedures and only became aware after the cases emerged. (Channels)

Gunmen have killed the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Hon. Ishaq Yunusa, and abducted another occupant of his vehicle.

The incident occurred on Thursday along the Itobe-Ochadamu Expressway, around Ojuwo Olijo in Ofu Local Government Area of the state.

The Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Afusat Saliu, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to journalists in Lokoja on Friday.

Saliu said the attack occurred at about 5pm when armed assailants emerged from the surrounding bush and opened fire on motorists.

She said a blue Toyota Corolla, with registration number GWA 636 CH, was subsequently found abandoned along the highway.

“The driver, identified as Hon. Ishaq Yunusa, was found dead in the vehicle, while another occupant was taken into the bush by the assailants,” the statement said.

The police spokesperson said the command, in collaboration with other security agencies, had intensified operations in the area, with personnel combing the surrounding forest to locate and rescue the abducted victim and apprehend the assailants.

She said the deceased had been evacuated to Grimard Hospital, Anyigba, for autopsy, while the command was pursuing all available leads in connection with the incident.

The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, directed sustained security operations along the affected corridor and ordered efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The command urged motorists and residents along the route to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements to the police or other security agencies.

•  Victims were returning to Abuja after orientation in Bayelsa Camp

Fifteen National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have been abducted by Armed Bandits in Kogi State while returning from their orientation camp in Bayelsa State.

The corps members were said to have been travelling from the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State towards Abuja when they were intercepted along the Ofu/Itobe–Onicha-Igo axis in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Wednesday August 26, 2026.

A relative of one of the victims, who spoke on the incident on Thursday, confirmed that the corps members were taken while on their journey to the Federal Capital Territory.

The victims were said to be traveling in some vehicles including a Peace Mass Transit bus and a yellow Toyota bus marked 564.

A police officer from the Kogi State Police Command who obtained next-of-kin contacts from the passengers’ manifest contacted the victims’ families.

As of the time of reporting, details regarding the identities of the victims, possible ransom demands and ongoing rescue efforts remain unclear.

The reported incident has, however, renewed concerns over the safety of NYSC members traveling across different states of the country, particularly young Nigerians returning to their states after completing orientation camp activities.

NYSC’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, was contacted but couldn’t confirm the incident, while attempts to reach the Bayelsa coordinator were also unsuccessful.

Also, the Kogi state police command has yet to speak on the development though The Advocate learnt that it has launched an operation in conjunction with vigilante groups in the area to rescue the victims.