Why illicit trade in harvested organs in Nigeria may not stop soon, By Uche Igwe

Combating the illegal harvesting of and trade in organs will take work to achieve. The government has an important role to play in this. However, data-driven responses, inter-agency information and intelligence sharing will help. Medical professionals and hospitals where organ storage and or transplantation happen should be made to give information about the origin and destination of these organs to security agencies. Furthermore, existing legal frameworks should be strengthened…

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 about it. Yet, it has become an almost unhindered growing criminal enterprise in the country. It is probably one highly under-reported transnational organised crime involving a chain of illicit actors – kidnappers, medical professionals, ritualists, and sometimes with the connivance of security agencies. The high demand for organ transplants and rising inequality are contributory factors to the upsurge in this crime.

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 actors dismember the organs of their targets, which must be preserved to ensure that they remain fresh and useable till they reach their desired destinations. Other actors specialise in luring unsuspecting but vulnerable individuals, especially young people from low economic backgrounds, to sell their organs to syndicates for one form of 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 the 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 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 till date, while others are extra-judicially murdered after their organs have been removed.

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 whereby the organs of abductees are harvested, especially those whose relatives are unable to come up with ransom payments. Recently, a suspected criminal operating through the social media was apprehended in connection with the disappearance of two ladies who were allegedly kidnapped for organ harvesting.

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. Following this claim, the leadership of the Nigerian Police set up an investigative panel whose report is yet to be made public. Okechukwu Nwanguma, the director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), expressed worry that little has been heard about the panel’s findings. The whistleblower, Nnamdi Daniel Emeh, who made the revelation, is still reportedly in detention, despite having fulfilled his bail conditions.

Kidnappers and Ritualists As 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 whereby the organs of abductees are harvested, especially those whose relatives are unable to come up with ransom payments. Recently, a suspected criminal operating through the social media was apprehended in connection with the disappearance of two ladies who were 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 linked to the network 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 their body parts for sale.

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 prevailing regulations allow kidney recipients to source for 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.

Syndicates Offer Fictitious Jobs to Unsuspecting Persons Abroad

Many young people seeking greener pastures abroad have ended up becoming victims of organ harvesting. They fall into the hands of syndicates operating from locations in India and China, North Africa and the Middle East, which advertise fictitious jobs with mouth-watering salaries. These desperate job seekers and potential migrants often fall into the trap of these deceptive criminals who forcefully harvest their organs for sale. Impoverished communities, illegal migrants and displaced populations are at greater risk of this form of primitive exploitation. The menace is not peculiar to Nigeria but is evident across Africa. A researcher, Sean Columb, revealed how migrants predominantly from West Africa sell their organs to criminal networks operating within and across 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 prevailing regulations allow kidney recipients to source for 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 that their decisions are by free will and without compulsion or financial inducement. The poor enforcement of the regulations remains a crucial challenge, as these criminals find ways to subvert them and stay a step ahead of the law.

Data-driven Responses and Strong Legislation Will Help

Combating the illegal harvesting of and trade in organs will take work to achieve. The government has an important role to play in this. However, data-driven responses, inter-agency information and intelligence sharing will help. Medical professionals and hospitals where organ storage and or transplantation happen 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 the existing health infrastructure is improved. Creating a DNA bank could help security agencies investigate the sources of organs in circulation. Awareness about the trade, human trafficking and insecurity must be raised, especially among the youth, alongside the scaling up of poverty alleviation efforts.

Uche Igwe 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