An Abuja-based kidney donation procedure involving several young men was reportedly carried out as a voluntary organ donation exercise rather than illegal trafficking or forced organ harvesting, according to Nigerian consultant surgeon Dr. Torngee Malu.

Speaking on Channels TV, Malu said statements from the young men involved indicated that they were aware their kidneys were being donated to a patient suffering from end-stage kidney disease.

According to the surgeon, the donors had also reportedly signed court affidavits before undergoing the procedures, further indicating their consent to the kidney donations.

Malu maintained that the medical team followed the required procedures, stressing that the donors were consenting adults above the age of 18 and that the surgeries were performed in a standard hospital environment.

He also defended the financial compensation reportedly given to the donors, drawing a comparison with situations where individuals receive payments for donating biological tissues such as blood.

Rather than viewing the medical team as perpetrators, Malu argued that the doctors involved should be recognised for their role in helping to save the life of a patient in need of a kidney transplant.

His comments come amid public concerns and ongoing discussions surrounding the circumstances of the kidney donation procedures in Abuja.