FORMER deputy president of the senate, Dr. Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, Beatrice and a medical “middleman,” Dr. Obinna Obeta, were on Thursday, March 23 found guilty of an organ-trafficking plot after they brought 25-year-old David Ukpo to the United Kingdom (UK) from Lagos.
Ekweremadu, 60, Beatrice, 56, and Obeta, 50, were convicted of conspiring to exploit the man for his kidney, in the first such case under modern slavery laws.
According to the BBC, the Old Bailey heard that the organ was for the couple’s 25-year-old daughter, Sonia, who was cleared of the same charge.
David, a street trader in Lagos, from Ebonyi State, was brought to the UK last year to provide a kidney in an £80,000 private transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
The prosecution said he was offered up to £7,000 and promised opportunities in the UK for helping, and he only realised what was going on when he met doctors at the hospital.
It was alleged the defendants had tried to convince medics at the hospital by pretending the ‘donor’ was the cousin of Sonia, who has a debilitating illness and remains on weekly dialysis, when indeed they were not related.
While it is lawful to donate a kidney, it becomes criminal if there is a reward of money or other material advantage to do so.
Royal Free Hospital consultant, Dr. Peter Dupont, concluded that David was unsuitable after learning he had no counselling or advice about the risks of surgery and lacked funds for the lifelong care he would need.
The court heard that the Ekweremadus then transferred their interest to Turkey and set about finding another donor.
An investigation was launched after David ran away from London and slept rough for days before walking into a Police station in Staines, Surrey, crying and in distress.
Relaying his fears, he reportedly told Police: “The doctor said I was too young, but the man said if you do not do it here, he would carry me back to Nigeria and do it there.”
Jurors heard that Sonia was studying for a Masters degree at Newcastle University when she became ill in December 2019. In 2021, her father enlisted the help of his medically-trained brother, Diwe Ekweremadu, to search for a donor, the court heard.
Diwe, who remains in Nigeria, turned to Obeta, a former classmate, who lives in Southwark, south London, and who recently had a private kidney transplant at the Royal Free Hospital with a Nigerian donor.
Obeta then engaged with Dr. Chris Agbo of Vintage Health Group, a medical tourism company, and an agent to arrange a visa for the donor, the court heard.
The victim (David), who knew the man that had donated his kidney to Obeta, was recruited from Ikotun area of Lagos, where he eked out a living hawking telephone accessories in a wheelbarrow.
Beatrice worked in the auditor general’s office and has a Doctorate degree in accountancy.
Throughout the trial, Sonia declined to give evidence. She wept in court as she was cleared by the jury and tearfully hugged her father as he was remanded into custody with the other defendants ahead of sentencing on May 5, this year.
Following their conviction, Chief Crown Prosecutor, Joanne Jakymec, described the conspiracy as a “horrific plot,” adding: “The convicted defendants showed utter disregard for the victim’s welfare, health and well-being and used their considerable influence to a high degree of control throughout, with the victim having limited understanding of what was really going on here.”
The jury deliberated for nearly 14 hours to convict the Ekweremadus and Obeta.
Det Insp Esther Richardson of the Metropolitan Police commended the victim (David) for his bravery in speaking against the offenders, adding that the Police, the Crown Prosecution Service and Human Tissue Authority teams had “worked tirelessly” on the case, which is the first time that defendants have been convicted under the Modern Slavery Act of an organ-trafficking conspiracy.
The Ekweremadus, who have an address in Willesden Green, north-west London, and Obeta, from Southwark, south London, had denied the charge against them during trial.
