Nigeria
Former Nigerian Senator and Family Convicted of Organ Trafficking
The Verdict
Ike Ekweremadu, 60, a former deputy president of the Nigerian senate, his wife and a doctor have been convicted of organ trafficking, in the first verdict of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act.
The Crime
They criminally conspired to bring the 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney, the jury found. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been offered an illegal reward to become a donor for the senator’s daughter after kidney disease forced her to drop out of a master’s degree in film at Newcastle University, the court heard.
The Altruistic Donor
For a fee, a medical secretary at the hospital acted as an Igbo translator between the man and the doctors to help try to convince them he was an altruistic donor, the court heard. He said they entered an “emotionally cold commercial transaction” with the man.
Exploitation, Entitlement, and Hypocrisy
The behaviour of Ekweremadu, a successful lawyer and founder of an anti-poverty charity who helped draw up Nigeria’s laws against organ trafficking, showed “entitlement, dishonesty and hypocrisy”, Davies told the jury. He said Ekweremadu, who owns several properties and had a staff of 80, “agreed to reward someone for a kidney for his daughter – somebody in circumstances of poverty and from whom he distanced himself and made no inquiries, and with whom, for his own political protection, he wanted no direct contact”.
Justification for Love Cannot Excuse Exploitation
Davies added: “What he agreed to do was not simply expedient in the clinical interests of his daughter, Sonia, it was exploitation, it was criminal. It is no defence to say he acted out of love for his daughter. Her clinical needs cannot come at the expense of the exploitation of somebody in poverty.”
Denial of Charges
Ekweremadu, who denied the charge, told the court he was the victim of a scam. Obeta, who also denied the charge, claimed the man was not offered a reward for his kidney and was acting altruistically. Beatrice denied any knowledge of the alleged conspiracy. Sonia did not give evidence.
WhatsApp Messages as Evidence
WhatsApp messages showed to the court revealed Obeta charged Ekweremadu 4.5m naira (about £8,000) made up of an “agent fee” and a “donor fee”.
Falsified Documents
Ekweremadu and Obeta admitted falsely claiming the man was Sonia’s cousin in his visa application and in documents presented to the hospital.
Ignoring Medical Advice
Davies said Ekweremadu ignored medical advice to find a donor for his daughter among genuine family members. He said: “At no point in time was there ever any intention for a family member close, medium or distant to do what could be paid for from a pool of donors.”
The Sentence
The judge, Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson, will pass sentence at a later date.
The News Source
Easily access major global news with a strong focus on Africa. As well as the main stories of the day, we like to accentuate positive stories about Africa across all genres including Politics, Business, Commerce, Science, Sports, Arts & Culture, Showbiz and Fashion.
Broadcast Coverage
We broadcast 24 hours a day from our studios in London and New York and can be seen here in the UK and across Europe on the Sky platform (Sky channel 516), Freeview (Channel 136) as well as in the USA on the Centric channel and also on the Hot bird platform, which transmits to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Credit: https://www.arise.tv/ike-ekweremadu-wife-found-guilty-of-organ-trafficking-to-uk/
