*Risk life imprisonment if convicted*
Facts have emerged on how former Deputy Senate President, Dr. Ike Ekeremadu, cunningly took a 15 year old homeless boy, Ukpo Nwamini David, to the United Kingdom (UK) to donate kidney to his sick daughter, Sonia, whose kidney has failed.
A source at the UK court where Ekweremadu and his wife were tried, said Ekweremadu’s daughter, Sonia, has been sick and has been on dialysis for some time now because her kidney is bad.
Ekweremadu and wife eventually found a 15year homeless boy from Lagos in Nigeria and pretended to give him a better life by taking him to UK
They (Ekweremadus) procured a passport and visa for him and brought him to UK. He was kept in a house where he was used as a help pending the surgery to remove his organ for onward transplant to Sonia.
On the appointed date, the operating surgeon in UK noticed that the boy looks so young and might not under UK laws be ripe for organ donation. The surgeon directly asked the boy of his age and he said 15 years as against the 21 years he was supposed to say. Under the UK laws, an organ donor must be 15 years and above. When David said he was 15 years, the surgeon dismissed him and cancelled the surgery.
The boy was taken back to the family where he worked as a help but he escaped after some days and went to a police station and narrated the whole story.
Ekweremadu was placed under investigation and was arrested on Tuesday on his way to Istanbul to procure another organ for his daughter.
He has been charged and remanded in custody. His next court appearance will be on the 7th of July.
According to Daily Trust, Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, may face life imprisonment if found guilty and convicted to maximum sentence under the United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA 2015).
The couple were arrested and charged with bringing a child to the UK for organ harvesting. They were consequently arraigned on Thursday before Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court.
The London metropolitan police said investigation was launched on the duo after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022.
MSA 2015 frowns at human trafficking, under which organ harvesting falls, and is punishable with maximum sentence of life imprisonment upon conviction.
The Act partly reads, “Under s 2, an individual commits an offence if they arrange or facilitate the travel of another with a view to that person being exploited. It is irrelevant whether that person consents to the travel, or whether they are a child or an adult.
“Under s 3 of MSA 2015, exploitation includes: slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour; sexual exploitation (which involves the commission of an offence under s 1(1)(a) of the Protection of Children’s Act 1978 (indecent photographs of children), or Pt 1 of SOA 2003 (eg, rape or sexual assault); removal of organs where a person is encouraged required or expected to do anything which involves the commission of an offence under ss 32 or 33 of the Human Tissue Act 2004 (prohibition of commercial dealings in organs and restrictions on use of live donors); securing services etc by force, threats or deception; securing services etc from children and vulnerable persons (eg, physically or mentally ill or disabled).”
It further stated that anyone found guilty of “human trafficking is liable on summary conviction to 12 months’ imprisonment and/or unlimited fine,” adding that “on conviction on indictment, the maximum sentence is life imprisonment.”
Below is the letter written by Senator Ekweremadu to secure visa for the 15 year old David.
