Police arrest lab technician running illegal blood bank in hair salon

The police in Delta State, south-south Nigeria, have arrested a laboratory technician for allegedly operating an illegal blood bank from a hairdresser’s salon and selling unscreened blood to other laboratory technicians.

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The police spokesperson in the state, Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a video posted on X on Saturday.

Mr Edafe was seen in the video parading and interviewing the suspects.

About eight pints of blood were seen displayed on a table in the video.

Mr Edafe said the main suspect, identified as Adeje Uchenna, 40, was a certified laboratory technician who allegedly supplied blood obtained without proper medical screening.

“The other day, we arrested a suspect who was operating an illegal blood bank. Today we’ve gotten another one,” he said.

Blood collected from vulnerable youths

Mr Edafe said the suspect had approached the salon owner in June last year after losing his job and requested to use her facility to collect blood.

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He added that the suspect allegedly targeted vulnerable youths, where he got a “Pint of blood at N5,000 and sold it to other technicians between N15,000 and N17,000.”

“He collected blood from vulnerable youth who are either into drugs… He obtained blood without running screening or knowing their PCV level.”

Mr Edafe warned that such practices could expose patients to deadly infections.

“One would wonder how someone is HIV positive, and you wouldn’t know it is as a result of blood that has been taken unprofessionally,” he said.

Suspect admits offence

In the video, Mr Uchenna told the police he studied at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, graduating in 2008, and obtained his professional license in 2011.

Responding to questions, he admitted that the trade was illegal.

“For avoidance of doubt, Section 53 of the National Health Act, 2014, prohibits the sale or dredging of blood tissue or blood product,” Mr Edafe said.

The police said four other suspects, including the hairdresser whose salon was used for the operation, were also arrested.

One of the laboratory technicians, allegedly patronising the suspect, said the blood was screened only after it arrived at their facility rather than at the point of collection.

What the law says

Nigeria’s National Health Act, 2014, regulates the collection, storage, and use of human blood and tissues.

Under the law, the sale or commercial trading of blood and blood products is prohibited. Any person who contravenes the provision commits an offence and may face a fine of up to N100,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both upon conviction.

The law also requires blood banks to operate only with proper authorisation and in accordance with regulatory guidelines issued by health authorities.

Violating these standards or operating a blood bank without approval attracts legal sanctions.

Nigeria’s underground blood trade

Health experts say illegal blood banking persists in Nigeria due to chronic shortages of voluntary donors.

PREMIUM TIMES four months ago reported that an estimated 1.23 million units of blood are collected annually across Nigerian health facilities, but the country requires about 1.8 million units each year, according to health experts.

Studies indicate that as much as 90 per cent of blood donations in Nigeria come from paid donors, creating a thriving underground market for blood and raising concerns about transfusion safety.

Medical experts warn that blood collected outside regulated facilities may not undergo proper screening for infections such as HIV, hepatitis, and other transfusion-transmissible diseases.

Mr Edafe said the suspects would face prosecution.

“We’ve had stories of people who got infected with deadly diseases after blood transfusion. These suspects will be charged in court,” he wrote on X.