By Eric Elezuo
Trouble, when it comes, doesn’t come alone. It comes with a retinue of family members, so goes a popular saying. And so when it visited a former Senate President, who is a serving senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ike Ekweremadu, it came with an avalanche that has so far threatened to consume and obliterate his many years of hard work. It is worthy of note that Ekweremadu has come under serious condemnation from various quarters even as the veracity of the allegation is yet to be determined.
On Tuesday, June 21, 2022, the Specialist Crime Team of the Metropolitan Police in London arrested the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice for alleged conspiracy to harvest the organs of a child, who is currently in protective custody. Ekweremadu and his wife were arrested at the Heathrow Airport in London on their way to Istanbul in Turkey. It is reported that Ekweremadu’s sick daughter, Sonia, required a kidney transplant.
A statement by the Metropolitan Police said, “A woman and a man were charged today (Thursday) with conspiring to arrange the travel of a child into the UK to harvest organs.
“The charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime team.
“[A] 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.
“[B] Ike Ekweremadu, 60 (12.05.62) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.”
If convicted, the couple may get a maximum of life sentence or 12 months imprisonment or a fine or both on summary conviction under the United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Act 2015.
The investigation was launched after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022, the force said.
A source said, “One of his children needs an organ transplant. Probably, the arrangement was not tidy in the face of British laws.”
They were arraigned before a UK Magistrate court, Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court, to be precise, on Thursday, June 23, 2002 and remanded in custody till July 7, 2022 when they will have their day in court. By sheer of the bail, the former number two lawmaker will spend the next 14 days behind bars.
If convicted, Ekweremadu and his wife risk a long jail term as the Act reads that, “A person guilty of an offence under Section 1 or 2 is liable (a)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for life; (b)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine or both.”
Reports that have flooded the media space at the moment, noted that the alleged victim is supposedly homeless 15-year-old boy who was brought to the UK by Mr and Mrs Ekweremadu off the streets of Lagos, Nigeria. However, available evidences have proved that the donor, is not 15, but 21 years of old, and an indigene of Ebonyi State by name Ukpo Nwamiri David.
A trending picture of David’s passport, indicated that he was born on October 12, 2000, giving credence to the 21 years old claim by the senator.
The passport with number B00569974 was issued in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on November 5, 2021 and would expire on November 4, 2026.
On the controversy surrounding David’s passport, the acting Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr Idris Jere said the service was probing the passport and would soon come out with its findings.
“We are investigating the passport and the issues surrounding it. We will come out with our findings soon,” Jere stated.
Earlier, Arisetv, in a report monitored by The Punch noted as follows:
“They are both charged with conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of another person with the aim of exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
“They conspired to bring a child from Nigeria, a 15-year-old boy to harvest his organ; the boy was promised a better life. The prosecutors told the court that the former Deputy Senate President procured a passport for the boy and claimed he was 21 years old but discovered that he was 15 years old.
“The court learnt that Ekweremadu’s daughter had been battling with kidney failure and has been on dialysis for a while and needed a kidney transplant. So, the boy was brought in to give one of his kidneys to the daughter.”
“The Royal Free (hospital) cancelled the procedure and returned the boy to the custody of the family who treated him badly and he had to run away and slept on the streets for two days.
“It was while sleeping on the streets that the boy went to the police who investigated the matter and arrested the Ekweremadus at the Heathrow Airport on their way to Istanbul, Turkey, to procure another organ because they were unable to harvest the boy’s organ.
“Ekweremadu was arrested with $20,000 in his possession which has been seized.”
However, in contradiction to the reports, a letter written to the British High Commission in Abuja in which the Senator Ekweremadu sought a visa for Ukpo later surfaced on social media.
The letter dated December 28, 2021, titled, “Re: Medical visa application for Ukpo David,’ 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.”
It is not clear yet if the British High Commission received the embattled senator’s letter as the commission’s spokesman, Dean Hurlock, has refused to confirm reception, but agreed that it was aware of the case.
“We are aware that the Metropolitan Police in the UK have charged two people with conspiracy offences linked to allegations of organ harvesting. As this is a live UK police investigation, I am obliged to tell you to contact the Met office if you have any questions related to this,” Hurlock said.
Presently, the embattled senator is undergoing series of post-crisis trauma as events are taking a negative turn. Apart from his immediate incarceration, where he, and his wife are expected to spend 14 days before appearing in court on July 17, Ekweremadu has been suspended by a UK tertiary institution, Lincoln University from his duties as a visiting professor.
Lincoln University, which appointed Ekweremadu as a visiting professor of Corporate and International Linkages just over a week ago, announced his suspension following the human trafficking for organ harvesting allegation.
Lincoln University said it will not comment further on the matter until the conclusion of UK police investigation on the former Nigerian deputy Senate President and his wife Beatrice.
“Visiting professors are often, as is in this case, non-resident at the university, unpaid and advisory,” a Lincoln University spokesperson said.
“We are deeply concerned about the nature of these allegations, but as this is an active police investigation, we cannot comment further at this stage.
“Whilst this matter is subject to investigation, this person will not be undertaking any duties as visiting professor at Lincoln,” the institutions official statement revealed.
However, denying having knowledge of why he was brought to the UK other than the promise of a job and good life, a letter titled My journey to UK, purportedly written by the alleged victim, Nwamini, gave a graphic process of what transpired between him and the Ekweremadus via his Facebook page:
“On one fateful day I met a man named okoro in a building site where I was working for my daily bread, okoro told me he like me, he want to help me achieve my dream because he saw me as a great person. He told me could you like to work in UK I just started laughing because I don’t have money for that, then I told him no am not interested and asked me why I told him I don’t have money for that.
“He just started laughing to me and told me he is going to introduce me to senator his company in UK need workers, so he could start my visa processing.
“I have no other option than to accept the offered, after two day the man came to the building site again and told me the senator wanted to see me so we could start the visa processing, then I dropped my shovel and head pan and went to bath immediately.
“Mrs okoro took me to unknown area where I haven’t been before, I was afraid maybe he is a money ritualist, I encouraged my self since I knew Mr okoro for a long time there will be no problem. Mr okoro hand me over to one young man wearing a suit, he told me everything about then I told him Mr okoro has already explain everything to me and I have accepted to work in UK.
“Next day these young man introduced me to another man immediately I saw the man I greeted him, I don’t know his name then he told me he is the owner of the company that want workers in UK and ask me if am interest to work I said yes sir immediately with happiness all over my heart.
“Their later gave me a room on that mansion and snap me a passport photographs and told their will start my visa processing immediately. the kind of food I ate there my generation haven’t ate it before. I was so happy staying in that house. After a week their told me my visa and passport are ready their told we are going to leave tomorrow, I was taken to airport from there we land in UK I was taken to a hospital in UK.
“When we landed in hospital in UK I was told I must went for a medical test to check my health status, if I’m fit for the job I accepted without any question. I thank God for doctor harry who told me everything and I told him why I’m here and he later called police for my rescued.”
While the Immigration investigates the passbook of Nwamini to ascertain its authenticity, the UK Met continues to investigate the veracity of the letter written by Ekweremadu.
The coming days will surely reveal who is culpable in the alleged organ harvesting crime leveled against the former deputy Senate President, and his wife
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