Alleged organ harvesting: court revokes bail of Dr.Noel Kekere in Plateau

By Daniel Agada, Jos

The Jos Metropolitan Development Board, JMDB, Magistrate Court on Friday revoked the bail earlier granted to suspected organ harvester Dr. Noel Kekere on Tuesday 10th October, 2023.

The bail earlier granted had raised eyebrows, more so that both the Police and the Plateau State ministry of Justice (the Prosecuting bodies) all confirmed they had no prior knowledge the matter was slated for that Tuesday and therefore, were not in court.

Dr. Kekere who operates a clinic in Jos metropolis, called Murna and Maternity was arrested by the Police for allegedly harvested the kidney of one Mrs Kehinde Kamal, in 2018 when she visited his hospital for an operation that had nothing to do with kidney.

It was gathered that it took Mrs Kamal almost five years and an eventual visit to Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) after frequent visits to Kekere’s Murna Clinic, to realize that her organ had been harvested.

After his arrest and being in their custody for sometime, the police completed the court process and handed over the suspect to the ministry of Justice for prosecution after investigation. 

Consequently, the suspect was remanded in prison custody. Daily Champion findings revealed that an application for bail of the suspect was filed at Plateau State High Court of Justice by the defence Counsel and service was attempted on the police but the court bailiff was told by the police that the case file has been transferred to the ministry of justice.

Rather than serving the ministry with the process, the bailiff is said to have not, despite the fact that he recorded in the file, the exact information he got from the police with regard to the transfer of the suspect to the ministry of Justice.

It is for this reason that observers faulted the Magistrate for granting the bail to the suspect despite the fact that the case file contained all the process. A legal practitioner who wouldn’t want his name in print said “The Magistrate having gone through the case file ought to have ordered that the ministry of justice be served and adjourned until another day. He didn’t, and went ahead to grant the bail application”.

Husband to the victim Kamal Busari said “I only heard that they have granted the man bail this morning the question is on what condition? So I am not aware and I don’t know what is happening”.

However, in a twist of event, Dr. kekere had to report to the police in respect of a complaint lodge by yet another Victim. Consequently, he was rearrested by the police on Thursday and taken to the Magistrate on Friday where the bail earlier granted was revoked.

This case has drawn global attention as even as authorities in Plateau state are dealing with the criminal harvesting of a patient’s organ which ran contrary to every known ethics of whatever profession Kekere, the alleged harvester, plies.

It’s obvious that Mrs Kamal’s situation has opened a pandora’s box of some sort with widespread concerns that in the over 18 years of operating Murna Clinic, Kekere may have harvested as many organs as possible unknown to most of the victims.

The Nigerian National Health Act provides, in line with the 2008 Istanbul declaration, that organ donation and harvesting should be done in a regulated way.

Specifically, the Istanbul declaration stipulates clearly that organ donation is voluntary and that as much as possible, there should not be any inducement to get an organ from a prospective donor.

Indeed, all medical practitioners are guided by the National Health Act as far as organ donation is concerned. The act specifically provides for consent as a precondition for taking someone’s organ.

It is for this reason that this case has drew much attention and the expectation is to see that justice is not only done but seems to have been done.