Nigerian politician jailed for nine years in UK over organ trafficking plot
By Ahmed Hadizat
A senior Nigerian politician has been condemned to nine years and eight months in jail in the UK for being the “main thrust” in a plot to harvest a kidney for his sick daughter from a young man he had trafficked to London.
In March, an Old Bailey jury found Ike Ekweremadu, 60, a former deputy president of the Nigerian senate, his wife Beatrice, 56, and Dr. Obinna Obeta, 51, guilty of organ trafficking under the Modern Slavery Act.
It was discovered that they worked together to transport a 21-year-old Lagos street vendor to a private renal unit at the Royal Free hospital in London as a potential kidney donor for Ekweremadu’s daughter Sonia.
Mr. Justice Jeremy Johnson stated that all three conspirators participated in a “despicable trade” in his Friday sentence remarks. He stated, ” Human organ harvesting is a form of slavery. It views humans and their bodies as commodities that can be purchased and sold.
Ike Ekweremadu was a member of the Nigerian senate when the country outlawed organ trafficking, Mr. Justice Johnson said.
