The Department of Surgery started as a core and required discipline for the award of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree at the inception of the Faculty of Health Sciences in the University of Ilorin in 1977. It has remained the largest department in the College of Health Sciences even after the Department of Anaesthesia, Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Radiology were carved out of it. The department presently has 9 Divisions namely: General Surgery, Paediatric Surgery, Thoracic and Cardiovascular surgery, Urological surgery, Plastic, Burns and Reconstructive Surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery and the Accident and Emergency. Recently, the Division of Maxillofacial surgery has been carved out of Surgery to become the Department of Dentistry. There are at least 22 subspecialties in the department of Surgery with 16 highly dedicated surgeons providing both academic and clinical services and training to undergraduate and post graduate students and the patients.

Our department mission statements are:

1. To train high quality medical graduates and specialists in surgery.

2. To provide excellent surgical care based on global best practice.

3. To create an innovative and research oriented practice for maximization of available resources and provide responsive care to the society’s needs and challenges

We have track record of excellence in:

1. Diagnostic and therapeutic minimal access surgery through Laparoscopy and endoscopy services.

2. Neonatal and Pediatric Surgical care

3. Endoscopic cranial and urologic surgery

4. Arthroplasty and spine surgery

5. Bone lengthening and deformity correction

6. Pelvic bone reconstruction

7. Primary repair of congenital oesophageal and anorectal malformation

8. Urogenital reconstruction

9. Complex flap and skin cover procedures

10. Open heart, cardiac pacemaker implantation and vascular surgery

11. Renal transplantation

12. Transurethral and radical prostatectomy

13. Maxilla and facial reconstruction surgery

We are pioneers, primary inventors of some procedures and patented materials:

1. Odebode-Agaja skull traction device

2. Paediatric therapeutic Laparoscopy

3. Primary posterior sagittal anorectoplasty for anorectal malformation

4. Hand sew method for Duhamel operation in Hirschsprung’s disease

5. Day case paediatric surgery

We provide strong academic and skills training support for Undergraduate and Postgraduate students through the Clinical Skills and Simulation Laboratory of the College of Health Sciences which host various courses for: Medical and Nursing students, Medical Interns Clinical Skills training, West African College of Surgeons Basic Surgical Skills Course and many other courses to other departments and units.