A Nigerian man has become the fourth person worldwide cured of HIV

Salisu Ahmed’s breakthrough comes following a stem cell transplant performed at the City of Hope Medical Centre in the United States.

This makes him the fourth person globally to have achieved long-term remission from HIV.

He is also the oldest to have successfully gone through the procedure.

Before this, Ahmed faced massive stigmatisation and discrimination after he contracted the virus 31 years ago through an extramarital affair.

He was also abandoned by his family after his diagnosis.

"I was denied the use of the bathroom of the compound, I was not allowed to access the toilet. I was formerly a teacher, so I was asked honourably to stop coming to the school," Ahmed was quoted.

According to the City of Hope Medical Centre, the patient began remission after discontinuing antiretroviral therapy.

Stem cells from a donor with a rare genetic mutation that made the virus unable to replicate were used for Ahmed’s procedure.