Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over reports of young Nigerians allegedly selling their kidneys to cope with the country’s rising cost of living.
Atiku, in a post on X on Friday, said the reported development reflected the severity of the economic hardship confronting young people in Nigeria.
He cited reports that some young Nigerians were allegedly selling their kidneys for as little as ₦1.7 million, describing the situation as a disturbing consequence of desperation caused by increasing living costs.
Reacting to the reports, Atiku said young Nigerians should be using their talents, ideas and innovation to build their futures rather than being driven to consider selling body organs as a means of survival.
He linked the situation to the increasing cost of essential goods and services, including food, transportation, rent, school fees, medicine and electricity.
Atiku argued that Nigeria’s existing laws against commercial organ sales and organ trafficking would not, on their own, address the economic conditions that could leave vulnerable people exposed to exploitation.
He said economic policies should be assessed not only by their broader reforms but also by their impact on the daily lives of Nigerians, particularly young people.
He wrote, “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.
“Young people should be selling dreams, ideas and innovation, not their body organs.
“Yet when the cost-of-living crisis becomes unbearable, desperation begins to make the unthinkable appear like an option. That should offend the conscience of every Nigerian.
“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.
“Nigeria already has laws prohibiting commercial organ sales and organ trafficking. But laws alone cannot cure the poverty and desperation that make vulnerable young people easy prey for criminal networks.
“No government should celebrate “reforms” while young Nigerians are being reduced to selling parts of themselves to eat, pay rent, settle school fees or survive.
“Economic reform must have a human face. It must mean affordable food, cheaper transportation, accessible healthcare, decent jobs and renewed hope for the next generation.
“Our young people should be selling their ideas, talents and innovation to the world and not their kidneys for ₦1.7 million just to survive at home. This is the human cost of Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis.
“Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again. -AA.”
His comments came amid a recent police investigation into alleged illegal organ harvesting in Nasarawa State, where four suspects were arrested during a sting operation.
The operation was conducted on August 19 at Auta Balifi in the Karu Local Government Area of the state.
Those arrested were Emmanuel Ode, 23; Dr Benjamin Oyime, 48, a nephrologist and consultant to Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja; Dr Daniel Otukpa, 53, also a nephrologist and Acting Director of Clinical Services at Wellington Hospital; and David Idoko, 25.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, alleged that Ode confessed to recruiting victims under false pretences.
According to the police, one victim was allegedly lured to Wellington Hospital in April 2026, where his kidney was harvested after he was paid $1,250.
The police also alleged that another victim underwent a similar procedure in 2022.
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