By Sabiu Abdullahi
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has expressed concern over reports that some young Nigerians are resorting to kidney sales because of worsening economic difficulties.
Atiku made the remarks in a post on X on Thursday, where he linked the reported development to the rising cost of living under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The former Vice President said he had received what he described as “disturbing stories” about young Nigerians who were considering the sale of parts of their bodies as a means of raising money.
“I have heard disturbing stories about the extent to which young Nigerians are being driven simply to survive. Perhaps the most horrifying are the growing reports of young people selling parts of their bodies: kidneys in particular, in desperate attempts to raise money,” Atiku wrote.
He maintained that young Nigerians should have opportunities to develop their talents and pursue their ambitions instead of considering the sale of their organs.
According to him, they should be “selling dreams, ideas and innovation, not their body organs,” and described the reported situation as something that should “offend the conscience of every Nigerian.”
Atiku further alleged that some young Nigerians were being pushed to sell their kidneys for as little as ₦1.7m. However, the figure was not linked to a specific report or government agency.
The reported amount could not be independently verified.
Atiku attributed the alleged trend to the pressure caused by the increasing prices of basic necessities, including food, transportation, accommodation, education, healthcare and electricity.
He said, “In Tinubu’s Nigeria, almost everything required to live with dignity is becoming more expensive by the day: food, transport, rent, school fees, medicine and electricity.
“Yet young Nigerians are reportedly being driven to sell their kidneys for as little as ₦1.7 million.
“That should break the heart of a nation.
“Young Nigerians should be building careers, starting businesses, raising families and pursuing their dreams, not calculating how much parts of their bodies can fetch simply to stay alive.
“When young Nigerians begin to see their kidneys as emergency savings, we are no longer talking about ordinary economic hardship. We are talking about desperation at its most frightening.”
The ADC presidential candidate acknowledged that Nigerian laws prohibit the commercial sale of human organs and organ trafficking.
He, however, argued that “laws alone cannot cure the poverty and desperation that make vulnerable young people easy prey for criminal networks.”
Atiku called for economic measures that would address the difficulties faced by ordinary Nigerians. He listed affordable food, lower transportation costs, accessible healthcare, decent employment opportunities and “renewed hope for the next generation” among the measures he said were needed.
He concluded with a criticism of the President, saying, “Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again.”
His comments came amid recent reports of alleged organ trafficking activities in some parts of Nigeria.
The Nigeria Police Force recently paraded four suspects, including two nephrologists, over an alleged organ-trafficking operation.
The police alleged that one of the suspects, Emmanuel Ode, admitted to recruiting victims. Investigators also alleged that a 22-year-old man was taken to a hospital in Abuja in April, where his kidney was allegedly removed for $1,250, said to be about ₦1.7m.
According to investigators, the suspected syndicate targeted vulnerable young people facing financial difficulties in Nasarawa and surrounding areas.