A professor of medicine at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), and consultant nephrologist at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Professor Aliyu Abdu, has raised alarm over the booming black market for kidneys in Nigeria, revealing that at least 651 kidneys valued at over $41 billion were trafficked and transplanted illegally in the country between 2015 and 2020.
Prof. Abdu disclosed this while speaking at a seminar on National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Standards in Abuja. He noted that the illegal trade forms part of a global black market where more than 10,000 kidneys are sold annually.
According to him, Nigeria has become a fertile ground for organ trafficking because of weak regulation, despite the National Health Act of 2014, which prohibits the sale of human organs and mandates donor consent.
“Victims are mostly impoverished people who are easily influenced by financial incentives and ignorant of the possible risks involved,” Prof. Abdu explained. He lamented that many donors are abandoned without proper care after surgery, often left battling depression and severe health complications.
The nephrologist further revealed that the trade is controlled by a criminal network involving illegal brokers, organ hunters, physicians, nurses, ambulance drivers, as well as travel and insurance agents.
He added that the absence of cadaveric donations and functional organ banks continues to fuel the black market, stressing the urgent need for stricter enforcement and public awareness to curb the menace.