A shocking revelation has emerged about the scale of illegal organ trafficking in Nigeria. A medical expert, Professor Aliyu Abdu, has disclosed that between 2015 and 2020, at least 651 kidneys were trafficked and transplanted illegally in the country, with a combined value of more than $41 billion.

Prof. Abdu, a professor of medicine at Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and consultant nephrologist at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), made this disclosure while speaking at a seminar on National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Standards in Abuja.

He noted that the illegal trade is part of a global black market where more than 10,000 kidneys are sold every year.

According to him, Nigeria’s weak regulatory system has created fertile ground for traffickers. Although the National Health Act of 2014 prohibits the sale of human organs and mandates donor consent, enforcement remains poor, exposing many vulnerable citizens to exploitation.

“Victims are mostly poor people who are lured with financial incentives and remain unaware of the health risks involved,” Prof. Abdu explained. “Many are abandoned without follow-up care, left to struggle with depression, disease, and other complications.”

He further revealed that the trade is run by an organised network that includes illegal brokers, so-called "organ hunters," some medical personnel, and even travel and insurance agents.

Prof. Abdu also linked the black market’s growth to the absence of cadaveric donations and functional organ banks in the country, stressing the urgent need for reforms and stronger enforcement to protect citizens from exploitation.