Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, alongside his wife, Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, has been denied bail and remanded in custody by a United Kingdom court over allegation bordering on organ trafficking.
The UK Metropolitan Police formally charged Ekweremadu and his wife with conspiracy to facilitate the travel of another person for organ harvesting in the UK.
Ekweremadu and his wife were arrested and charged over their plan to bring a child into the UK to allegedly harvest the said child’s organs.
The charges involve arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting, according to a Met statement on Thursday.
The victim whose travel was facilitated to UK by the suspects was said to be a homeless 15-year-old boy picked from the streets of Lagos under false pretence.
The statement added that the investigation was launched after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022.
The BBC reports that when the suspects appeared at the Uxbridge magistrates court in west London on Thursday and were asked by the clerk for their address, they both replied: “Nigeria”.
The court heard the prosecution needed permission to proceed because of jurisdiction issues, according to the BBC report.
“In respect of these offences, the (UK) Attorney General’s consent is required and the Crown require 14 days for that to be obtained,” Prosecutor Damla Ayas told the court.
Most of the alleged offences took place in the UK, magistrates heard.
The Ekweremadus, who were arrested two days ago, have been remanded in custody to appear at the same court on July 7.
The suspects were arrested at Heathrow airport on their way to Instabul. Reports claim they were planning to procure a kidney from a donor in Turkey, after their initial plan failed.
When arrested, Ekweremadu was said to be in possession of $20,000 which was confiscated by the UK authorities.
However, it was gathered that Ekweremadu and wife, took David Ukpo to Royal Tree Hospital in London for medical examination and when he disclosed his age to the doctor, the doctor cancelled the procedure and the boy was taken back into the custody of the couple.
The prosecution alleged that while the boy was in the custody of the couple, he was not treated well, which made him escape from their home, slept on the streets in London for two days and found his way to a police station.
A source close to the couple disclosed that contrary to reports that he illegally obtained a 15-year-old homeless boy from the streets, Ukpo, told the couple that he is 21 years old, and that he perfectly understood that he was travelling for medical purposes.
“Ekweremadu’s daughter has been sick with a failed kidney and urgently needed a transplant and because her health was rapidly deteriorating, when he was told that there was someone who could be compatible, he readily welcomed the idea.
“Ekweremadu didn’t abduct or coerce him. The young man said he was 21 years old and a passport was gotten for him. However, the lawmaker was not aware that the young man had other plans and had already contacted someone in London who it is believed convinced him to report Ekweremadu to the authorities and accuse him of trafficking.
“The young man went to the UK authorities and claimed he was deceived into coming to the UK and that he is 15 years old. But that is not true as the letter Ekweremadu wrote to the British High Commission clearly states that Ukpo was coming to London for medical purposes,” the source said.
The letter, which accompanied the visa application was dated, December 28, 2021 and seen by Daily Sun, showed the letter Ekweremadu wrote was addressed to the British High Commission with subject: Medical Visa Application for Ukpo Nwamini David.
It read: “I am writing in support of the visa application made by Mr. Ukpo Nwamini David, who is currently having medical investigations for a kidney donation to Ms Sonia Ekweremadu. David and Sonia will be at the Royal Free Hospital, London and I will be providing the necessary funding. I have enclosed a statement of my bank account. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require additional information.”
At the Uxbridge Court, while reading out the charges, the prosecutor, Damla Ayas, said: “It is a conspiracy in relation to human trafficking offences for the purpose of organ harvesting. The victim in this case is 15 years old. The couple were interviewed at the police station. Both of the defendants have provided a prepared statement.
Ekweremadu in his prepared statement, denied allegations of human trafficking. He said at no stage has he arranged transport for anyone with the intention to exploit them.”
He said: “There is no question that this is a serious allegation. Ekweremadu is a member of the Senate in Nigeria. He has previously held senior role as deputy president of the Senate. He is a member of the bar in Nigeria and is a principal in a law firm that bears his name.
“Those issues taken together go way beyond him being a person of good character, rather he has led a blameless life as a public servant.”
The lawyer for Mrs. Ekweremadu, Antonia Gray said: “She has never been complicit or involved in any alleged illegal trafficking of any young person. She is an accountant with an unblemished record.”
Ekweremadu, a member of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, has been a senator since 2003. He served as Deputy President of the Senate from 2007 to 2019.
He was also recently made a visiting professor at the University of Lincoln.
Ekweremadu was recently in the news after saying the South-East region would not vote for the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, in 2023.
Before his comment on Obi, the embattled lawmaker withdrew from the 2023 governorship race in Enugu State after he failed to win the PDP’s ticket.
Ekweremadu was born on May 12 at Amachara Mpu in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State.
He holds both Bachelor and Masters’ degrees in law from the University of Nigeria and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987.
