The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has resolved to investigate the rising cases of illegal human organ harvesting in the country, which other law enforcement agencies wrongfully call ritual murders.

Julie Okah-Donli, Director General of NAPTIP, told NAN that the agency would investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“NAPTIP has decided to begin full investigation because most of the times when other law enforcement agencies go out, they will come to tell us that the suspected organ harvesting is a ritual murder,” Okah-Donli said.

“And we have resolved to carry out our independent investigation because the law gives us the power to do that and we have strong reasons to believe that these are cases of organ harvesting.

“When that is established after our investigation, we will go after everyone found involved with the full arm of the law.”

She said NAPTIP was fighting all forms of human trafficking in the country, including the rising crime of human organs trading.

The Federal Ministry of Health recently alerted the Nigerian Medical Associations (NMA) to inform doctors on the increasing number of human kidney trafficking.

NMA was directed to inform all the doctors in the relevant specialities to be watchful of illegal harvesting of human organs so that Nigerians would not fall victims.