A young man whose name is yet to be ascertained has confessed to being involved in human organ harvesting in Nigeria’s commercial hub Lagos.
The boy who is seen in a viral video said he worked with some grown men who kill people at Ayobo Junction in the southwestern state to harvest their organs, particularly kidneys to sell to some ‘big men’.
The suspect, who was apprehended by civilians in the Ayobo area of the state, added that the gang sells one kidney for ₦25,000 to a buyer.
He identified one of his superiors in the gang as ‘Sunday’.
“We dey carry them dey go Ayobo Junction and we go and kill them there (We take our victims to Ayobo Junction to kill). (We always remove) their kidneys and we always sell it for one man and we sell it for N25,000. It is not me that is killing them, it is my oga that is killing them. His name is Oga Sunday and he stays at Ayobo Junction (in Lagos),” he said.
Lagos State Police Command’s spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin did not respond to a request to find out if the police had begun an investigation into the matter.
Nigeria is presently grappling with a sinister phenomenon that has already claimed countless lives and left families devastated.
Human organ harvesting is now a disturbing social issue in Nigeria, with several cases involving politicians and religious leaders.
A former Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, Beatrice, daughter Sonia and Dr Obinna Obeta were on March 23, 2023, found guilty of facilitating the travel of a young man to Britain with a view to his exploitation after a six-week trial at the Old Bailey.
They criminally conspired to bring the 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney, the jury found.
The victim, who was reportedly treated like a slave, shared his ordeal with British police, revealing he had been sleeping on the streets for three nights before seeking help at Staines Police Station.
Nigeria’s laws and international legislation have been criticised for not doing enough to prevent such crimes. In fact, experts argue that harmful cultural practices and lack of effective implementation of existing laws contribute to the ongoing problem.
Also, ritual killing, driven by the belief that human body parts can be used for sudden wealth and power to manipulate and control, has become a scary reality in the country. This heinous practice, which is usually glossed over as a folktale until one fall victim, is an affront to human dignity and a blight on our collective conscience.
Some individuals believe that human organs and body parts possess spiritual powers that can bring lasting wealth, success, and protection. This belief is perpetuated by false narratives and superstitions by dishonest individuals.
Recent data suggests that the problem is escalating.
Nigeria is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, with skyrocketing inflation, a national currency in free-fall and millions of people struggling to survive.
Poverty, unemployment, and a lack of education create an environment where desperate individuals are preyed upon by unscrupulous ritualists.