Unseen Chaos: Confronting the Hidden Epidemic of Disappearances in Nigeria

Silent Crisis (Image from VOA Africa)

Nigeria continues to face an expanding security crisis defined by terrorism, banditry, mass kidnappings, and communal violence. Beneath these visible threats lies a far more unsettling pattern that the nation has yet to confront with seriousness. Across several states, people disappear without a trace. Victims who are later found often bear signs of targeted organ removal. In insurgent-affected regions in the North East and North West, bodies have been discovered with hearts, kidneys, or livers missing after attacks. These cases are frequently dismissed as ritual killings, a term so broad that it obscures any deeper or organized motive. Yet a growing body of accounts suggests that something far more coordinated may be taking place.

There is mounting evidence that an illicit organ-harvesting economy may be exploiting Nigeria’s insecurity. Communities raise repeated alarms about precise mutilations that resemble post-mortem extraction rather than random violence. Survivors, local responders, and rights advocates describe patterns that challenge the familiar narratives used by official investigations. When these cases are combined with disappearances that never receive a forensic review, the national picture becomes troubling.

One of the most compelling warnings came from whistleblower Nnamdi Emeh, a former police officer who exposed what he described as an organ-harvesting syndicate operating within certain units of the Nigerian police. Emeh alleged extrajudicial killings and the illegal removal and sale of human organs. After making these revelations public, he was arrested, detained, and later imprisoned. Civil society groups have consistently warned that his life is in danger, claiming there are efforts to silence him permanently while in custody. His case shows a disturbing possibility. Organ-related crimes may not be limited to criminal gangs. They may involve individuals connected to state structures.

Emeh’s ordeal is separate from the high-profile conviction of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, and a medical practitioner in the United Kingdom for organ trafficking. The Ekweremadu case demonstrates that Nigerians are already entangled in global organ-trade networks. But the allegations raised by Emeh point toward something even more alarming: the potential existence of domestic networks capable of exploiting citizens inside Nigeria itself.

Disappearances compound the problem. Nigeria does not have a unified missing-persons system, a national forensic databank, or standardized protocols for identifying mutilated bodies. As a result, thousands of disappearances remain untraceable. Families search hospitals, morgues, and police stations with no answers. Many victims are never found. Others are discovered in forests, abandoned compounds, or shallow graves with vital organs removed. Without forensic investigations, these cases are often closed without scrutiny, providing cover for criminal activity that thrives in silence.

Insurgent attacks in northern communities further complicate the crisis. Local responders have reported victims who were not only killed during raids but whose organs were removed afterward with alarming precision. While extremist groups are known for brutality, the targeted extraction of internal organs suggests financial motives rather than ideological violence. This possibility raises serious intelligence questions about whether insurgent factions are engaging in the organ trade as an additional source of revenue.

For decades, Nigeria has struggled with human parts trafficking for ritual purposes. However, the persistent use of the term “ritual killings” now functions as a convenient explanation that prevents investigators from examining more organized patterns. The global organ trade is a multibillion-dollar industry. It relies on secrecy, vulnerability, and weak investigative systems. Nigeria’s current security conditions provide an environment where such crimes can flourish unnoticed.

There is an urgent need for a coordinated national response. Nigeria must recognize that organ trafficking is no longer a distant international crime. It is a potential domestic threat connected to disappearances, insurgency, corruption, and organized criminal networks. The intelligence community cannot continue to approach these cases as isolated incidents.

A national task force should be established to investigate organ-related killings and suspicious disappearances. Mandatory forensic autopsies should be required for all cases involving mutilation. A centralized missing-persons registry must be created with biometric capabilities. An independent inquiry is needed into the allegations raised by whistleblower Nnamdi Emeh. Nigeria must strengthen its legal framework for organ trafficking and expand cooperation with international partners, including Interpol and UNODC. It is essential to integrate intelligence from the police, Department of State Services, military intelligence, NAPTIP, and state forensic units.

This issue is not merely a criminal concern. It is a human-rights emergency. It is a national security challenge. And it is an ethical test of Nigeria’s willingness to protect its most vulnerable citizens.

The missing deserve answers. The dead deserve justice. The living deserve security. Nigeria cannot afford to look away.

About the Author

Dr. Oludare Ogunlana is a security scholar, intelligence analyst, and founder of OGUN Security Research and Strategic Consulting LLC, where he leads research on national security, cyber threats, and public-safety strategy.