More Details Emerge On Senator Ike Ekweremadu And Wife’s Alleged Organ Harvesting Scandal | See Photo And Letter
The Uxbridge Magistrate Court in London has denied bail to former Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice over claims that they trafficked a 15-year-old boy from Lagos to the UK with the intent to harvest his organ.
Reports from Arise TV revealed that the prosecutors at the court yesterday afternoon said the Ekweremadus were being charged for bringing the 15-year-old boy from Nigeria to the UK with the claim that he was to be given a better life in the UK but was actually to harvest his organ.
The prosecutors told the court that the former Senate President procured a passport for the boy and claimed he was 21 years old but they discovered that he was 15 years old.
The prosecutors also told the court that the Ekweremadus have a daughter who has a kidney-related disease and has been on dialysis for quite some time. They told the court that it is believed that the plan was to use an organ from the boy on their daughter who appears to need a kidney transplant.
Ekweremadu and his wife had separate legal representatives and prayed the court to release them on bail but their prayers were however dismissed by the Magistrate. The couple has surrendered their passports to the UK government.
Shortly after the arraignment, it’s been revealed that Ekweremadu wrote a letter to the British high commission about a kidney donation for his daughter.
In the letter, the former deputy senate president said he was writing in support of a visa applicant who was scheduled for “medical investigations for a kidney donation to Ms Sonia Ekweremadu”.
He said the donor and his daughter “will be at the Royal Free Hospital London”, adding that he would “be providing the necessary funding”.
Below is a copy of the letter…
The couple was arrested at Heathrow airport, on their way to Istanbul, Turkey and according to the prosecutors, it is believed that they were on their way to procure another organ as they were unable to harvest the organ of the boy. The prosecutors also stated that $20, 000 cash was found on Mr. Ekweremadu.
According to Arise, the red flag was raised after the boy truthfully disclosed his age, 15, to the doctors at the Royal Free hospital in the UK.
The doctors canceled the procedure and the boy was immediately taken into the custody of the family who according to the prosecutors treated him like a slave until he escaped and found his way to the police where an investigation started, leading to the arrest of the couple.
Arise news reports that according to the prosecutors, the Ekweremadus found the boy off the streets in Lagos, he was homeless and they brought him to the UK under the pretense of offering him a better life. The defense however says there is far more than meets the eye regarding the case.
After much deliberation, the Magistrate ordered their remand in custody till July 7 for the next hearing on the case.
I think it’s disgusting that Mr. Ekweremadu and his wife would allegedly be involved in something like this. I believe they should be given the harshest possible punishment if they are found guilty. This is a heinous crime, and it’s sickening to think anyone would do something like it.
What a tragedy a child was potentially being used for something like this. I can only imagine how terrified the child must have been. I’m glad the police were able to intervene and that the child has been safeguarded.
I believe there need to be stiffer penalties for people caught engaging in this type of activity. This is a severe crime that can have lifelong consequences for the victims. I hope that Mr. Ekweremadu and his wife are brought to justice and that this serves as a deterrent for others considering something like this.