By Our Correspondent
A court in London has ordered the detention of former Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Nwanneka in police custody for allegedly attempting to harvest the organs of a child.
The Uxbridge Magistrate’s Court said the pair should be held by the police until July 7 when hearing in the case would resume.
The London Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime team brought charges against Mr and Mrs Ekweremadu following an investigation.
The police said they launched the investigation after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022.
They told the court that the couple brought a homeless boy, identified as Ukpo Nwamini David, from Nigeria under the pretext of exposing him to a better life but with the intention of harvesting his kidney.
According to the charge sheet, Ekweremadu and his wife allegedly procured a passport for the victim that showed his age as 21-years-old, but doctors at the Royal Free Hospital in the UK were forced to cancel the procedure when the boy disclosed his real age to be 15 years.
The NEW CITIZEN learnt that the harvested kidney was to be transplanted to the Ekweremadu’s daughter who had been diagnosed with kidney problems and has been on dialysis for some time.
The charge sheet read: “Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55 (10.9.66) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
“Ike Ekweremadu, 60 (12.05.62) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting. Between August 2021 and May 6, 2022.”
The prosecution also told the court that the boy was maltreated by the couple after the cancellation of the procedure to harvest the victim’s kidney by the hospital, causing him to flee the house and seek help at a police station.
The accused were arrested on Tuesday, June 21 at Heathrow Airport while on their way to Istanbul, Turkey, to procure another kidney for the transplant.
They had in their possession the sum of $20,000, which has been confiscated.
The court turned down an application by their legal representatives for them to be released on bail, insisting that they posed a flight risk.
It fixed July 7 for the continuation of the case.
Meanwhile, the boy has now been safeguarded.
