Malam Sabi’u Usman Saurayi, a 29-year-old banker residing in the Nassarawo community of Gombe State capital, has recounted his harrowing escape from suspected organ traffickers who attempted to remove his kidney.
Sabi’u was abducted last week by kidnappers who allegedly intended to harvest his kidney. Recounting his traumatic experience on Wednesday, June 5, he said he narrowly escaped death after being drugged and held captive.
According to him, the ordeal began when he fell ill with a fever and boarded a commercial motorcycle. However, his condition worsened, prompting the motorcyclist to leave him by the roadside to stabilize and find another passenger.
It was at this vulnerable moment that a stranger approached and offered him a ride in a car. Sabi’u said he accepted the offer because the driver called him by name, leading him to believe the man might be one of his customers from any of the banks where he had previously worked.
Unbeknownst to him, the driver was not alone. Two other men were seated in the back of the car and immediately restrained him.
“The two men in the back seat pulled me to the centre and forced a long beanie over my head, covering my face,” Sabi’u narrated. “We drove for about 25 minutes. When the cap was removed, I found myself in an unfamiliar room surrounded by three men.”
He recounted that one of the men, wearing a face mask and medical gloves, opened a medical kit, drew his blood, and collected saliva and urine samples by force.
“I told him I didn’t feel the urge to urinate, but he insisted. One of them, a tall, heavily built man, struck me twice in the back. The pain and fear made me comply. They offered me food, which I refused. I was scared, confused, and still burning with fever.”
He noticed a wall clock showing 11:20 a.m. before being locked in the room until late that night, around 10:00 p.m., when his captors returned with food and water, which he again refused.
Sabi’u said the captors collected the biological samples to assess his suitability for kidney harvesting. He claimed a medical doctor was part of the sinister plan and had scheduled a surgery for Monday, June 2, in Kaduna State. He was abducted on Friday, May 30, and managed to escape on Saturday night, May 31.
“When I realized they were planning to transport me to Kaduna to remove my kidney and sell it, a wave of fear surged through me,” he said. “That night, after they left with the doctor, I summoned what little strength I had and began inspecting the room.”
Though the doors and windows were heavily secured, Sabi’u noticed that the ceiling was made of a thin, rubber-like material. When his captors left, he broke through the ceiling and crawled to safety.
Police Confirm Organ Harvesting Cases in Gombe
Spokesperson for the Gombe State Police Command, Buhari Abdullahi, confirmed reports of organ harvesting activities in the state, as reported by The Guardian.
He cited a particularly gruesome case involving the alleged abduction and murder of a six-year-old boy, Muhammad Ibrahim Bulama, a resident of Bura-Bunga village in Bojude, Gombe State. According to him, eight suspects were arrested in connection with the crime, which was reportedly committed for ritual purposes.
“In mid-February 2025, the boy’s grandfather noticed his absence and a search was launched,” Abdullahi said. “Two suspects were initially arrested and transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad. Further investigations led to the arrest of six more suspects.”
One of the suspects allegedly confessed to receiving the child from an accomplice, then slaughtering him with a knife in the Wuro-Doya bush. The body was divided into two parts—one half dumped in a well, and the other handed to an accomplice.
Abdullahi urged residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with law enforcement by reporting suspicious activities, in a bid to curb criminal acts across the state.
