by Christiana Gokyo, Jos

Following the arrest of a Jos-based medical doctor, Noah Kekere, who is in police custody of allegations of “organ harvesting” by his patients, has reportedly turned insane.

With this allegation, the Plateau State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has distanced itself from Dr Noah Kekere, who was arrested for allegedly harvesting a woman’s kidney.

The suspect was arrested by the police in Jos after a businessman, Alhaji Kamal, accused him of removing his wife’s kidney during surgery in 2018.

Alhaji Kamal explained that, his wife, Kehinde, was suffering from chronic stomach pains five years ago and was rushed to Kekere’s clinic, located the Nasarawa Gwom area of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, where he diagnosed and concluded that she had “ruptured appendicitis” and needed urgent surgery.

Alhaji Kamal narrated, thus: “The day the doctor conducted the operation, he started the operation from 12 noon until 8 pm; and for the past five years, my wife kept complaining of severe stomach pains,” adding that he continued to take her to the same hospital because he did not want to change the doctor that started her treatment.

Reacting to the incident by Dr. Bapigaan William Audu, the Chairman of NMA in the State, and Dr. Istifanus Bintum Bako, the Association’s Public Relations Officer, in a statement clarified that Dr. Kekere is not a licensed medical doctor after conducting their own investigation into the matter.

The statement averred that, “We would like to inform the public and all concerned individuals that Mr. Noah Kekere, who is under investigation for alleged organ harvesting, is not a medical doctor. 

“Our thorough investigation revealed that he is an impostor posing as a doctor, and we will provide further information once the investigation by the NMA and the Nigerian Police is concluded.”

It was gathered (at Police Headquarters in Jos) that, Mr Kekere had suddenly “turned insane and started tearing his clothes, and had been behaving as mentally unstable person.”

Investigation revealed that, following this situation, Mr Kekere was rushed to Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and was admitted for medical examinations.

“This made the police rush him to Jos University Teaching Hospital in handcuff and was just screaming, yelling and shouting, saying, ‘they want to silence my daughter.’ While his ‘insane’ saga lingered on, armed Mobile Policemen were deployed at the psychiatric unit of the hospital.

Our correspondent gathered that, after Mr Kekere was arrested, many victims came out to recount their ordeals in the hands of the doctor. At least about 4 persons have confirmed living with one kidney after undergoing medical procedures in Mr Kekere’s ‘Murna Hospital’ located at Nassarawa Gwong in the Plateau State capital.

One of the victims (name withheld) revealed that, “I was scanned here recently, and it has been confirmed that one of my kidneys was removed.”