By Emeka Amaefula
NIGERIA’S FMR. DEPUTY SENATE PRESIDEDNT IKE EKWEREMADU SET TO BE JAILED 10 YEARS FOR ORGAN TRAFFICKING IN LONDON
The Enugu state born former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice with their doctor all have been convicted in London over Organ trafficking under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 being the first verdict since the Act was made. chapter 30 of the Modern Slavery act 2015 thus criminalizes certain range of offences. Section 1, Slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour are criminalized as section 2 looks at directly on human trafficking as it states “A person commits an offence if the person arranges or facilitates the travel of another (“V”) with a view to V being exploited”.
The Nigerian Lawmaker Ike Ekweremadu, now 60 years of age his wife Beatrice 56 years old and their doctor Dr. Obinna Obeta 51 years old have been facing charges of organ trafficking and exploitation of a 21 years old street child they tricked and ferried away to London with intention to illegally harvest his organ for the purpose of illegitimately donating same to Ike Ekweremadu’s daughter, Miss Sonia who was set free by the Court during the verdict. The trial lasted for six weeks at the Old Bailey Crown Court in London United Kingdom.
Upon reading the Verdict the trial judge, Mr. Justice Jeremy Johnson said that Ekweremadu, his wife and Dr. Obeta engaged in criminal conspiracy to exploit a 21-year-old Lagos street trader to United Kingdom to harvest his kidney. The Prosecutor Hugh Davies KC informed the jury that Ekweremadus and their Doctor Obeta treated the man and other prospective donors as “disposable assets-spare parts for reward”. He described their actions as that having entered “emotionally cold commercial transaction” with the 21 years old man from street of Lagos Nigeria. The Prosecutor therefore told the court that Ekweremadus behaviour indicated “entitlement, dishonesty and hypocrisy”.
Davies said the Ekweremadus own several properties with staff over 80 “agreed to reward someone for a kidney for his daughter Miss Sonia—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”.
Continuing Davies said “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 defense 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”. In his defence Ekweremadu denied the charges having told the court that he was a victim of scam while his Doctor Obeta also denied the charges saying that the man was not offered a reward for his kidney. The sentencing of the Ekweremadus will take place until May, 2023 with jail terms of 10 years in prison as the punishment.
Section 5(1) of the MSA 2015 states that “a person guilty of an offense 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”. Again, section5(2) provides that a person guilty of an offense under Section 4 is liable “On conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a tem not exceeding 10-years”.