By Thomas Ola
The Wellington Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery has broken its silence on the controversy surrounding a kidney transplant procedure conducted at its facility, insisting that it was not involved in the sourcing of either the donor or recipient and did not participate in the transplant procedure.
The hospital said its involvement was limited to providing access to its specialised medical infrastructure, particularly its fully equipped modular operating theatres, which it said were made available to medical teams requiring advanced surgical facilities.
The clarification becomes necessary following unbalanced and rather unfair reports and commentaries especially the unwarranted mob on social media by the uninformed linking the hospital to an alleged organ-harvesting, organ Transplant procedures and other unspeakable allegations which threatens greatly her corporate profile and of great concern to more than 10,000 Brain, Spine patients in her follow up list since 2011, and if not corrected may potentially impact heavily on these emotional and psychological well being of these as well as the the general public and the staff.
But Wellington, in its account of the matter, said the social media narrative did not accurately represent the situation and unfortunately misleading. But it is our mandate to situate the narrative properly and verifiably so to reflect the true nature of involvement, stressing that its principal mandate remained the treatment of neurological and neurosurgical conditions.
According to the hospital, its facility was used by the Crown Medical and Kidney Center because of the availability of its high-end operating infrastructure and patient-monitoring systems.
It said the transplant team conducted the donor and recipient procedures within the facility, while the sourcing and ethical considerations surrounding the donor were outside Wellington’s responsibilities.
The hospital said it operated under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the transplant team and maintained that it had no role in identifying or procuring either the donor or recipient.
“Wellington was not involved in kidney transplant as its facility was only rented or used because of its state of the art equipment,” the hospital stated.
It added: “Wellington was not involved in the kidney transplant, emphasizing that the specialist Transplant Team from Crown Medical and Kidney Center only burrowed on rental basis the operating suites since the hospital is super specialized to accommodate even more complex surgeries and indeed other surgical Teams have done same when they have the need”
The hospital further stated that the legal proceedings arising from the transplant controversy were directed at individuals involved in the case and not at Wellington as a corporate entity following preliminary investigation which did not connect The Wellington in any way with the sourcing of the patients including donor and recipient.
In a statement issued on September 17, 2026, the Nigerian Medical Association, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter, said all suspects had been granted bail following proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja on September 16.
The NMA-FCT said the doctors pleaded not guilty to the charges against them and that the case had been adjourned till October 13, 2026, for further hearing.
“We are pleased to inform you that following proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja on 16th September 2026, both colleagues were granted bail. They pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them, and the matter has been adjourned till October 13, 2026 for further hearing.”
The association said its leadership had remained engaged with the case and that its officials, alongside its lawyer, were present during the proceedings that culminated in the doctors’ release.
The NMA-FCT statement identified the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Dr Adagba, and Dr James Nwabueze among those present in court.
The association also appealed to members to remain supportive of the affected doctors while allowing the judicial process to run its course.
“The leadership will continue to monitor the matter and provide updates as developments unfold. We stand for one another, always.”
Incidentally, Wellington’s name was not included in the charge sheet against the doctors just as its name never featured in the court proceedings.
The hospital also stressed that the fact that a medical procedure was performed within its premises did not automatically make the hospital a participant in every aspect of that procedure.
It explained that its operating theatres were designed to accommodate complex surgical procedures requiring specialised and advanced Biomedical Engineering and monitoring equipment, saying the same facilities were accessible to qualified medical teams operating within appropriate professional and regulatory frameworks especially MDCN and PHERMC. That was largely responsible for the zero complications and zero mortality recorded in the whole program as previously reported.
The hospital described its advances and innovations in Neurology and Neuroso as the central focus of its operations, pointing to its long-standing investment in advanced biomedical engineering, surgical intelligence and surgical safety.
In a separate illustration of its medical capacity, Wellington said it recently successfully operated a 79-year-old patient who had faced the threat of paralysis as a result of an advanced degenerative spinal condition, regardless of his age. This intervention has improved greatly his quality of life.
It said the spinal procedure demonstrated the capacity of Nigerian medical institutions to undertake complex interventions despite challenges within the country’s wider healthcare ecosystem.
“The Wellington desires to serve humanity with all we have got and that remains the focus,” the hospital stated.
It said it had deliberately concentrated on building specialist capacity rather than seeking publicity, adding that its core mandate remained the treatment of disorders affecting the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.
The hospital said more than 10,000 Nigerians had benefited from its services over the years, saying that its services to save lives and contribute to healthy living in Nigeria are worthy of note .
Regarding the kidney transplant controversy, Wellington said it was aware of investigations by law-enforcement authorities and the ongoing judicial process, but maintained that questions concerning donor sourcing and related ethical considerations were matters for the appropriate authorities and the parties directly involved.
The hospital also referred to an earlier investigation by the Nasarawa State Police Command, saying the matter was also previously referred to the Nasarawa State Judiciary.
However, with the case now before the Federal High Court, the hospital said it would allow the relevant authorities and the court to determine the issues arising from the transplant controversy.
The development has placed renewed attention on the distinction between a medical facility providing infrastructure and a medical team carrying out a specialised procedure.
For Wellington, the central issue is that the availability of its operating theatres and specialised equipment should not be interpreted as evidence that the hospital itself conducted or authorised every procedure undertaken by visiting medical teams.
The hospital said its reputation had been built over decades of investment in neurosurgical expertise, biomedical engineering and patient safety.
It maintained that its priority remained the provision of specialised neurological and neurosurgical care and that it would continue to make its facilities available for appropriate medical services in line with applicable professional and legal requirements.
Until the court determines the allegations against the listed, defendants, the claims and counterclaims surrounding the kidney transplant remain subject to the judicial process and has nothing to do with Wellington Clinics as the hospital is only showcased world class facilities for surgical safety and intelligence.
In the meantime, the Hospital wished to clarify and categorically states that her doors remain open to genuine collaborations with verified and licensed medical teams and missions who desire to use her facilities for services to Humanity, but based on verifiable MoU that places responsibility of patient safety, compliance to ethical guidelines and medic legal issues squarely on them.
. Ola, a public affairs analyst and commentator, contributes this piece from Abuja
