Former Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has been commited to prison for 9 years, 8 months by the UK Court.
A source from Old Bailey, London’s Central Criminal Court said the Senator’s wife, Beatrice was handed a 4 years 6 months term while their middleman medical doctor, Obinna Obeta will be in prison for 10 years.
The judgement was passed by the judge. Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson.
Ekweremadu, 60, his wife, Beatrice, 56 and Obeta, 51, were convicted of conspiracy to arrange the travel of a young man, addressed as David Nwamini to Britain in order to exploit him for his kidney, which was needed for the lawmaker’s sick daughter, Sonia.
After a six-week trial and conviction at the Old Bailey, London’s Central Criminal Court, the Ekweremadus and their doctor were found guilty of violating the Modern Slavery Act.
Ike Ekweremadu, who was described by the judge as the “driving force throughout”, was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison.
During a televised sentence hearing, Mr Justice Johnson recognised Ike Ekweremadu’s “substantial fall from grace”.
He described the politician as someone of high office with multiple properties, domestic staff, maids, chefs and drivers, compared with the victim who could not afford a £25 ticket to travel to Abuja.
‘Form of slavery’
Obeta, he said, had lied to doctors and falsely claimed the young potential donor was a cousin of the senator’s daughter who urgently needed a transplant.
The three had left the potential donor facing a “substantial and long term impact on his daily life”, he said.
“People-trafficking across international borders for the harvesting of human organs is a form of slavery,” the judge added.
Caption, Sonia Ekweremadu was cleared of wrongdoing and watched her parents being sentenced from the public gallery
In a victim personal statement, the 21-year-old Nigerian market trader, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court he used to “pray every day” to be given the opportunity to come to the UK to work or study.
He said to “make it happen” he agreed to medical tests in Lagos and meetings with doctors in London, believing they were required for his UK visa during the Covid pandemic.
The 21-year-old said he only realised what was planned when he met doctors at the Royal Free Hospital in London who began discussing a kidney transplant.
He told the court he would not had have agreed to it, adding: “My body is not for sale.”
The victim is now being helped by a charity in the UK, according to his lawyer in Nigeria.
In his statement he said he “can’t think about going home to Nigeria”, as “these people are extremely powerful and I worry for my safety”.
He also refused to apply for financial compensation from the Ekweremadu family, telling a detective he “did not need or want anything from the bad people”.
‘First conviction’
Hugh Davies KC, prosecuting, said all three defendants were guilty of trafficking with the highest level of culpability.
Lynette Woodrow, deputy chief crown prosecutor and national modern slavery lead at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said it had been “our first conviction for trafficking for the purposes of organ removal in England and Wales”.
She said it highlighted an important legal principle which made it irrelevant whether the trafficking victim knew he was coming to the UK to provide a kidney.
“With all trafficking offences,” Ms Woodrow said, “the consent of the person trafficked is no defence. The law is clear; you cannot consent to your own exploitation.”
In the wake of the case the Metropolitan Police and CPS have been working with hospitals and the Human Tissue Authority about actions they should take when concerns about organ trafficking are raised.(Additional reports from the BBC)
