About this episode

The episode discusses a kidney trafficking scandal involving a Nigerian man who was misled into thinking he was going to the U.K. for a job.

In 2021, a Nigerian man heard from a friend who offered him a job opportunity in the U.K. After he arrived he was taken to a hospital, where he found out that he wasn’t there for a job at all - but instead, for a kidney transplant. Today, Phoebe interviews journalist Alexis Okeowo about an organ trafficking scandal involving one of Nigeria’s most senior politicians. You can read Alexis Okeowo’s piece for the Guardian here. You can also watch this interview at youtube.com/criminalpodcast. Say hello on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Sign up for our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠occasional newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow the show and review us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for Criminal Plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, invitations to virtual events, special merch deals, and more. We also make ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This is Love⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Phoebe Reads a Mystery⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our online shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Phoebe

Guest: Alexis Okeowo

Topics covered

• organ trafficking
• kidney transplant
• scandal
• Nigeria
• journalism
• politics

Keywords

• organ trafficking
• kidney transplant
• Nigeria
• Alexis Okeowo
• scandal
• politics
• journalism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Guardian

Places: Nigeria, U.K.

More episodes of Criminal

• The Informant · September 4, 2026 · 1h 4m
• 911 · August 28, 2026 · 40 min
• What Happened When 33,000 People’s Therapy Notes Were Released Onto the Internet · August 25, 2026 · 46 min
• Out of the Box · August 21, 2026 · 44 min
• A Bump in the Night and Unexpected Guests · August 14, 2026 · 54 min
• Please Continue (Criminal+) · August 13, 2026 · 47 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Criminal podcast page.