Atiku says economic hardship is pushing young Nigerians to sell their kidneys

Atiku Abubakar says Nigeria's economic hardship has reached a point where some young people are reportedly selling their kidneys to raise money.

The former vice president and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate raised the alarm in a post on X, saying he had heard “disturbing stories” about young Nigerians selling body organs, particularly kidneys. He said they should be “selling dreams, ideas and innovation, not their body organs.”

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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.

Atiku attributed the reported trend to rising living costs under President Bola Tinubu, pointing to food, transport, rent, school fees, medicine and electricity. He said young Nigerians were reportedly being driven to sell their kidneys for as little as 1.7 million naira, though he did not link that figure to a specific report or agency.

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Young Nigerians should be selling dreams, ideas and innovation, not their body organs.

He acknowledged that Nigeria already bans commercial organ sales and organ trafficking, but said laws alone could not address the poverty and desperation that leave vulnerable people exposed to criminal networks. He called for economic reforms with “a human face,” including affordable food, cheaper transport and accessible healthcare.

The article also reports a separate political warning from Atiku spokesman Kenneth Okonkwo. He said Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, would be easily defeated by Tinubu in the January 16, 2027 general election without a united opposition.

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Laws alone cannot cure the poverty and desperation that make vulnerable young people easy prey for criminal networks.