A Nigerian politician and former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, has been found guilty of conspiring to smuggle a man from Lagos to the United Kingdom to harvest his kidney. Along with Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice and daughter, Sonia were also convicted of the same charge. Additionally, a medical intermediary, Dr. Obinna Obeta, was found guilty of his involvement in the scheme.
At their trial at the Old Bailey, it was revealed that a remuneration of £80,000 was to be given to the 21-year-old man for donating his kidney to Sonia Ekweremadu in a private procedure at London’s Royal Free Hospital. The prosecution argued that the donor was promised an improved life in the UK in exchange for a payment of up to £7,000, which made the act illegal.
While it is legal to donate a kidney, it becomes illegal if any monetary or other type of compensation is given. For the first time, two defendants have been found guilty of violating the Modern Slavery Act by conspiring to harvest organs.
A guilty verdict was passed on Dr Obinna Obeta, aged 50, who acted as an intermediary in the medical field. When the verdict of not guilty was read, 25-year-old Sonia Ekweremadu, who suffers from a kidney illness, burst into tears.
The victim’s identity remains undisclosed due to legal constraints, but it was revealed that he was unaware of the purpose of his first visit to the hospital until a consultant informed him that he was there for a kidney transplant. The consultant said that the donor had a “restricted comprehension” of his purpose for being there and seemed “very happy” when told that the surgery would not take place.
An attempt was made to get the Royal Free Hospital to perform a procedure on Sonia by presenting the man as her cousin, but this was unsuccessful. Despite opposition from medical professionals, it is alleged that a “dishonest translator” was hired for £1,500 to assist the donor during his second hospital conference with a doctor.
After the young man had fled London, he was on the streets for a few days before coming into a police station in Staines, Surrey, in a tearful state. This prompted an investigation to be opened.
At the trial, the defendants claimed that they thought the donor was behaving in a way that showed selflessness. Failing to get a successful transplant, the Ekweremadus allegedly directed their search to Turkey in an attempt to locate additional potential donors.
The politician, who is the owner of various properties in Nigeria and Dubai, shared that he had trusted in the advice of medical professionals, yet he felt he might have been “taken advantage of.”
The court ordered the convicted offenders to be held until their sentencing date of 5 May.
Commenting on the verdict, Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy acknowledged the courage of the survivor and asked the public to be vigilant for those who have been subjected to modern slavery, which he said is “permeating our society.”
Joanne Jakymec, prosecuting the case, referred to it as a “horrible plan” and noted that the accused “had no consideration for the victim’s safety, health and well-being.”
Image Credit: Ike Ekweremadu/Twitter
