The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons says it will commence investigation into illegal human organ harvesting in the country.
Organ harvesting is the illegal removal of human organ or tissue without a person’s consent, generally to be sold on the black market for organ transplants.
The Director General of NAPTIP, Julie Okah-Donlim disclosed this on Saturday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
Okah-Donli said cases of organ harvesting was complicated, but NAPTIP would carry out full investigation in order to bring perpetrators to book.
She decried the rising cases organ harvesting in the guise of ritual killings in some parts of the country.
She said: “NAPTIP has decided to begin full investigation because most of the times, other law enforcement agencies go out, they will come to tell us that the suspected organ harvesting is a ritual murder.
“And we have resolved to carry out our independent investigation because the law gives us the power to do that and we have strong reasons to believe that these are cases of organ harvesting.
“When that is established after our investigation, we will go after everyone found involved with the full arm of the law.”
The director general said that NAPTIP under her watch would continue with its mandate of fighting all forms of human trafficking in the country.
Organ trafficking is a form of human trafficking and is an organized crime.
According to the UN Gift Hub, organ trafficking falls into three categories.
Traffickers who trick the victim into giving up an organ for no cost; con artists who convince victims to sell their organs, but who do not pay or who pay less than they agreed to pay; and doctors who treat people for ailments which may or may not exist and remove the organs without the victim’s knowledge.
Trending
- Three stanzas of old national anthem
- Senate sets up an committee to probe 11,866 abandoned projects
- Court orders NCoS management to take ailing Binance executive, Gambaryan to hospital
- WAFU B U17 Championship: Eaglets cruise into semi-finals
- Sanwo-Olu mourns ex-Lagos SSG, Omotilewa Aro-Lambo
- Tinubu directs comprehensive review of Governing Councils of tertiary institutions
- 1st anniversary: Not fair to blame Tinubu’s administration for Nigeria’s woes– Bode George
- Primacy of Truth: Interrogating Okpebholo, Obaseki and Ighodalo’s characters, by Sebastine Ebhuomhan