The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) said it has arrested one suspect in connection with organ harvesting in Akwa Ibom State and alleged that many hospitals in the state are involved in the act.
The State Zonal Coordinator of NAPTIP, Mr. Emmanuel Awhen, disclosed this on Saturday during a press briefing in Uyo to mark the 2025 National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, themed “Strengthening Communities by Connecting the Dots.”
Awhen, who was represented by the Head of Public Enlightenment of the agency, Eme Ukpabio, said that the suspect, though arrested in Akwa Ibom, was not from the state, adding that the suspect had been referred to his home state.
The Zonal Coordinator, who noted that organ harvesting has become a booming trade in the state, disclosed that some clinics and hospitals in Akwa Ibom are engaged in the organ harvesting business.
His words: “Organ harvesting is one thing that is very high now. You may not notice it, some clinics in this town, with due apologies to doctors who are carrying out legitimate businesses, there are hospitals in this town that are involved in organ harvesting.”
“The arrest we had on organ harvesting, the person involved is not an Akwa Ibomite. So when we have such a case, we refer it to the mother state, where the suspect comes from. Our own is just to do the job and refer the case to the command that covers the person’s state, where justice will take its course,” Awhen stated.
In his remarks, the State Coordinator of the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse, and Labour (NACTAL), Ambassador Peace Edem, who highlighted the emotional and psychological dangers of human trafficking, called for continuous sensitization of communities against these dangers.
He said, “Different forms of human trafficking have been mentioned—sex trafficking, labour trafficking, organ trafficking, and others. The dangers associated with these are first, the physical danger, violence and abuse, forced labour, and the rest of them; then the emotional and psychological dangers.”
“So, we need to also sensitize our communities against these dangers because some of them innocently go into it without knowing,” he added.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs. Eno Ime Akpan, in her remarks, lauded the collaborative efforts of NAPTIP and NACTAL in the fight against human trafficking in the state and commended the state governor, Umo Eno, for establishing the ministry, which she noted is saddled with the responsibility of improving the dignity of humans.
