Tales of unlawful trafficking of human organs for sale, otherwise known as organ harvesting, used to sound like some distant fiction that happened in faraway climes. Many Nigerians have never believed it and are often shocked to hear it. Yet, it has become an almost unhindered growing criminal enterprise in the country. It is probably one highly under-reported transnational organized crime involving a chain of illicit actors – kidnappers, medical professionals, ritualists, sometimes with the connivance with security agencies. The high demand for organ transplants and rising inequality are contributory factors. The practice is unethical and exploitative and targets vulnerable persons who are financially disadvantaged. Those who know about it say it takes a network of rogues to carry out the act successfully. The first set of persons dismember the organ, which must be kept in a medium that ensures that the organ remains viable until it reaches the desired destination. Others specialize in luring unsuspecting but vulnerable individuals, especially young people from low economic backgrounds, to sell their organs to these syndicates for one reward or another. 

Disturbing evidence points to the likely involvement of security officials. 

Media reports once pointed at some reprobate units of the Nigerian police, especially the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and the police anti-kidnapping units, as alleged accomplices in organ harvesting of detainees. Interviews and documented experiences of survivors and family members of victims reveal that some policemen invite people who come secretly to detention centres to harvest the organs at night. Stories from the dreaded SARS unit in Awkuzu, Anambra state, validate these findings. Organ harvesting is said to be the reason why many detainees have disappeared and remain unaccounted for to date, while others are extra-judicially murdered after the organs have been removed. A civil society group known as Action Group for Free Civic Space in Nigeria alleged that police officers reportedly sell bodies illegally to teaching hospitals. The leadership of the Nigerian Police set up an investigative panel whose report has yet to be made public. Okechukwu Nwanguma, director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), expressed worry that little has been heard about the panel’s findings. The whistle-blower, Nnamdi Daniel Emeh, who made the revelation, is still reportedly in detention despite fulfilling bail conditions. 

Kidnappers and ritualists are part of the trade.

The increasing rate of kidnapping for ransom across the country is also contributing to the harvesting of organs for sale. Several accounts from rescued victims reveal harrowing experiences where the organs of abductees are harvested, especially those whose relatives are unable to make up ransom fees. Recently, a suspected criminal operating through social media was apprehended in connection with the disappearance of two ladies allegedly kidnapped for organ harvesting. In 2023, a student of the University of Port Harcourt reportedly murdered his girlfriend and harvested her organs for ritual purposes. Another suspect was also arrested for a similar crime. The phenomenon of unknown gunmen is said to be part of organ traffickers for ritual purposes. 

In May, officers of the Nigerian Police in Lagos state arrested a gang of suspected ritualists who specialise in killing people and harvesting body parts for sale. 

Syndicates offer fictitious jobs to unsuspecting persons abroad.

Many young people who are seeking greener pastures by travelling abroad have ended up becoming victims of organ harvesting. These syndicates operating from countries such as India, China and North Africa and the Middle East advertise fictitious jobs with mouth-watering salaries. These desperate job seekers and migrants often fall into the hands of these deceptive criminals who forcefully harvest their organs for sale. Impoverished communities, illegal migrants and displaced populations are at a greater risk of this form of primitive exploitation. The menace is not peculiar to Nigeria but across Africa. A researcher, Sean Columb, revealed how migrants predominantly from West Africa sell their organs to criminal networks operating within and between Egypt, Libya and Sudan to defray the cost of smuggling them across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. 

Regulations exist, but they still need to be improved. 

Regulatory agencies in Nigeria try to do their bit to curb illegal organ harvesting and trade. However, the existing laws governing organ transplants in Nigeria still need to be expanded in depth. Some existing regulations allow kidney recipients to source for their donors and present them to hospitals for screening for compatibility and fitness. Section 51-56 of the National Health Act 2014 prohibits the illegal transplantation of organs. Donors are expected to sign a consent form in the presence of two adults and swear an affidavit stating their age and affirming their decision is by free will without compulsion or financial inducement. Poor enforcement of the regulations remains a crucial challenge as these criminals find ways to subvert them and stay a step ahead. 

Data-driven responses and strong legislation will help.

Combating illegal harvesting and trade of organs will take work. The government has an important role to play. However, data-driven responses, inter-agency information and intelligent sharing will help. Medical professionals and hospitals where organ storage and or transplantation happens should be made to give information about the origin and destination of these organs to security agencies. Furthermore, existing legal frameworks should be strengthened while improving existing health infrastructure. Creating a DNA bank could help security agencies investigate the sources of organs in circulation. Awareness about the trade, human trafficking and insecuritymust be raised, especially among the youth, alongside scaling up poverty alleviation efforts.  

Uche Igwe, PhD is a senior political economy analyst and visiting fellow at Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at the London School of Economics and Political Science(LSE). He can be reached at u.igwe@lse.ac.uk