Abuja kidney donors acted voluntarily, were not coerced — Nigerian doctor

A Nigerian doctor, Dr Torngee Malu, has said that the young men who visited an Abuja hospital months ago to donate their kidneys did so voluntarily and were not coerced, contrary to claims that they were victims of organ trafficking.

Speaking during an interview with Channels Television, Malu said the accounts given by the donors showed that they were fully aware that their kidneys would be donated to patients battling end-stage kidney disease.

According to him, the donors stated that they were taken to court to swear affidavits before the kidney donation procedures were carried out.

Malu maintained that the case should be regarded as kidney donation rather than kidney harvesting or trafficking, arguing that the medical team followed the required procedures.

He explained that kidney donors are expected to be above 18 years, give informed consent and undergo the procedure in a standard medical facility.

Addressing reports that the donors received money after the procedure, the doctor compared it to the practice of people being paid for donating blood, noting that blood is also an organ.

He therefore argued that the doctors involved should not be victimised, but rather recognised for carrying out procedures he described as being within the standard process for kidney donation.