Family flees to U.S. after escaping human traffickers; Teen loses kidney, left paralyzed

A teenager left permanently disabled after surviving an attack by human traffickers now lives at the Montgomery County Stillwater Center in Dayton, according to the Public Information Officer (PIO) with Montgomery County Job Center.

Surur Ali was only seven years old when his family was kidnapped attempting to flee northeast Africa, the PIO said in a media release shared with News Center 7. Surur lost one of his kidneys and is now paralyzed and unable to speak.

“Human traffickers hid them for a month and demanded a ransom – money or their kidneys,” Surur's father, Mohammad Nur, said through a translator. “They gave them an injection. My older son and my sister-in-law died. My wife and Surur both got sick.”

Mohammad's wife has since recovered, yet Surur has a long battle ahead of him, the spokesperson said.

“It's very hard having a sick child after everything that happened,” Mohammad said, “It's very, very hard.”

Seven years after they escaped their kidnappers, the family was able to come to the U.S as refugees in 2018, the spokesperson said.

Surur received therapy in Florida teaching how how to ride an adaptive therapy trike and to communicate using signs as well as a special communication device, the spokesperson said.

In 2021, the family began looking for a permanent home and Montgomery County's Stillwater Center was at the top of their list considering it was one of the only intermediate care facilities with translation and recreational services, the spokesperson said.

“The best thing about the Stillwater Center is the options they give us,” Mohammad said. “They are giving us freedom to do what we need to for our son.”

The staff at Stillwater learned basic greetings in Surur's native language to help him and his family feel more comfortable and welcomed, as well as allowing Surur to go places a normal teen may want to go in his wheelchair, the spokesperson stated.

“When I see Surur smile or I see any resident smile or any family, then I know we're doing the right thing,” Director of the Stillwater Center, Dr. Pierce-Mobley, said. “My hope for Surur is that when he turns off the lights at night, he feels safe and that we're going to protect him and he won't be harmed ever again.”

Surur's family says he is continuing to improve his communication skills, he's gaining weight and making friends at school with other residents, the spokesperson said.

“He has been through a lot, and he suffered a lot. He's getting better and we have high hopes for him here,” Mohammad said.

“It's our privilege to be able to serve Surur and his family because the families have needs too,” Dr. Mobley-Pierce said. “When you see his face and you see the faces of the parents, they feel good knowing that they've left their loved one in good care with us.”

The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) said that organ trafficking is of particular concern in North and West Africa, the spokesperson said in the release. INTERPOL launched a new task force to fight human trafficking for organ removal.

A video detailing Surur's journey to recovery is available on Montgomery County, Ohio's social media page.

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