Kidney harvesting, a booming shadow economy in Nigeria
An investigation into the growing trend of kidney harvesting in Nigeria uncovered a thriving shadow economy of illegal kidney trade in the West African nation.
The black-market trade of kidneys has thrived for years in Africa’s most populous nation as a result of the socio-economic hardships being faced in the country.
The youth unemployment rate in Nigeria from 2014 until 2023 was at an average of 24.28%. The inflation rate in the West African nation as of September 2023 was at 26.72%, 5.94% higher than the 20.77% recorded in September 2022, local media the Guardian Nigeria reported.
The youth in Nigeria sell their kidneys in the black market for 1 million Naira (about $ 1,266.62) as a means of obtaining financial freedom, local Nigerian newspaper Daily Trust reported.
About 10% of the global population is affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to the National Kidney Foundation.
This would explain the high demand for kidneys which has resulted in the establishment of a high-functioning illegal kidney trade in the country.
The network of illegal kidney black market also includes an established network of young Nigerians who act as agents for the organ harvesters. These agents connect their friends in financial trouble for a payout in exchange for their kidneys.
However, the high of getting these payouts does not outweigh the long-term negative psychological and physical effects that these illegal kidney trades have on the donors.
According to the Daily Trust investigation, 25-year-old Aminu, a donor who sold his kidney in June 2022 for 1 million Naira (about $ 1,266.62) has been battling with suicidal thoughts ever since he completed the transaction.
“I have lost my kidney, I have no money or job, and I no longer have the strength to do any strenuous work,” he told the Daily Trust.
The annual global value of organ trafficking is estimated to be between $840 million and $1.7 billion and out of the 12,000 illegal transplants that occur each year, around 8,000 are kidney transplants, the nongovernmental organisation Global Financial Integrity (GFI) reported.
The GFI notes that illegal kidney transplants are the most common globally because they come from living donors.
Illegal organ harvesting is rife in regions with high unemployment and economic hardships. In 2013, Human Trafficking Search reported that the 40-45 per cent unemployment rate in Kosovo resulted in many of the Balkan nation’s citizens selling their kidneys.
