ABIRIBA COMMUNITY: ORGAN HARVEST ALLEGATION, MEDICAL REPORTS DIFFER

Following the controversy surrounding the demise of one Joseph Urum, a native of Abiriba in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, which led to the arrest of some persons, two doctors who attended to him before he succumbed to the cold hands of death have made public, their findings.

Recall Joseph, 45, died in an unclear circumstance on the 25th February, 2025 in a hospital in Mbaise, Imo State.

Joseph, an employee of “Do Good Farm”, Abiriba in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State fell sick on the 24th of February, 2025 at the farm. Other employees took him to different hospitals before he eventually died at Evergreen Hospital, Ọnicha Mbaise, Imo State.

Upon his death, the family raised alarm and alleged organ harvest by the proprietor of the farm, Ngozi Ibe who resides in the United States of America.

The family questioned the rationale behind taking him to such a remote place for medical help, of all places. Moreover, a video showed the deceased Joseph wearing an oxygen kit that covered only the mouth and leaving the nose bare, and a mark on his body that looked like the mark of a surgical blade.

A VISIT TO THE FARM

DREAM NEWS visited the farm where the late Joseph worked until his death and met the manager of the farm, Dickson George who had less to say. According to him, he had only resumed work on the farm on the 3rd of March, after the incident. Though he said he was briefed on the situation but he had no first hand information.

But then he said the deceased was first taken to Abiriba General Hospital where according to him, he (Joseph) was rejected and referred to the Federal Medical Center, (FMC) Umuahia where they were also not admitted for reasons he could not tell, before the journey to Mbaise.

Another employee of the farm, Confidence Nduka who introduced herself as the cook in the farm who also was close to the deceased told DREAM NEWS what she observed prior that day. Her husband was also arrested alongside two other persons.

Confidence Nduka said Joseph was one of the last set of people employed by the management of the farm who resumed duty towards the end of January. According to her, Joseph had the habit of avoiding food. His ration was always untouched.

“Because of my own injury, our mama here, that is our investor asked me to personally take care of him. So I was with him through out this time. I was the one who boiled water for him, I made his food but I observed that he was not eating the food. Everytime he’s served, when I go to take his flask, I noticed that the food was not touched.”

“At first he would tell me he was not hungry, sometimes he would throw the food away. He did not now I was seeing him. I confronted him, he said he preferred to take tea.”

“There was a day I went to his room to take his flask to give him hot water, I saw rolls of sachet beverage. That was what he was taking for the time he was here.”

“There were times he complained of having stomach discomfort but after sometime, he would say he was fine and moved on.”

“That evening, he started complaining of that stomach again, I thought it was as usual. I brought food for him to eat but he refused because this time around, the stomach was really disturbing him. Even the tea, he could not take. Incidentally, his mother called him on phone, and pleaded with my husband that we should take care of her son. We assured her that we would do so. But the situation worsened that we decided to take him to Abiriba General hospital.”

“Although we did not call the mother before going to the hospital because after the phone conversation, he worsened and we had to hurriedly go to the hospital.”

Another man on the farm who introduced himself as Nnanna Urum Ukaegbu said he had worked on the farm from inception and also a member of the family as the late Joseph and the proprietor, Ngozi Ibe (formerly Urum Ukaegbu).

“From what they told me when they came back, they went to FMC Umuahia but did not get immediate attention, because they were eager to save him, they were told to go to the hospital in Mbaise. They came from Abiriba here, they don’t live in Umuahia. They didn’t want the “boy” to die so they had to take him to Mbaise. Although there’s a hospital they said the went to (Abia Specialist, Hospital, Amachara), they did not get any attention before they left for Mbaise.”

“This was happening around 2am. According to them, it was through phone call that someone suggested the Mbaise hospital because the doctor said he could handle it. They didn’t even know the way to the place, it was through phone calls that they were guided until they got there.”

WHAT THE DOCTOR AT ABIRIBA GENERAL HOSPITAL SAID

In order to unravel the truth, DREAM NEWS visited Abiriba General Hospital to know if Joseph was brought there and why he was rejected. Doctor Joshua Jideofor Okereke was on seat and incidentally was the same doctor who attended to Joseph when he was brought to the hospital.

Dr Joshua confirmed that the deceased was brought to his hospital at about 11pm in a critical condition.

“He was brought here in a critical condition on the 24th of February, 2025, at about, between 11pm and 12 midnight. I observed him and diagnosed him. I discovered he had an “acute abdomen” and required a surgical emergency that he had only “twenty four hours” to live if the surgery was not done.”

“He has peptic ulcer with perforated intestine.”

“Within twenty minutes, I referred them to FMC Umuahia because, this is a community hospital. We can’t handle such situations. We don’t have the equipment and the personnel. FMC is the only place where they can get the necessary medical attention.”

The question on the lips of everyone remained, how did the hospital in Mbaise come into the picture? Who brought the idea? Why Mbaise? Are there no other hospitals in Umuahia? In order to solve the puzzle, DREAM NEWS visited Evergreen Hospital,Ọnicha Mbaise to unravel the mystery.