A professor of medicine at Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and consultant nephrologist at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Professor Aliyu Abdu, has disclosed that Nigeria witnessed the trafficking and illegal transplantation of at least 651 kidneys worth over $41 billion between 2015 and 2020.
He explained that the trade is connected to a worldwide black market where about 10,000 kidneys are sold annually.
Delivering a paper at a seminar on National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Standards in Abuja, Prof. Abdu cautioned that the country has become a hotspot for organ trafficking due to poor oversight.
Despite the National Health Act of 2014, which bans commercial organ sales and insists on donor consent, he said enforcement is almost non-existent, leaving vulnerable populations at risk of exploitation.
READ ALSO: Police arrest ‘cleric’ with human hands, kidneys, hearts
“Victims are mostly impoverished people who are easily influenced by financial incentives and ignorant of the possible risks involved,” he said, adding that many are left without follow-up care after surgery, struggling with depression and disease.
According to him, the network sustaining the illegal trade is well-structured, involving brokers, ‘organ hunters,’ medical workers, ambulance drivers, as well as travel and insurance agents.
Prof. Abdu further stressed that the lack of cadaveric donations and the absence of functional organ banks in Nigeria continue to fuel the black-market demand.