THE Westminster Magistrate Court in London, United Kingdom (UK), has ruled that David Ukpo, who in the middle of the organ harvesting trial of former senate deputy president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice, is not a minor.
The London court made the ruling on Thursday, July 7, shortly before adjourning the case until August 4, this year for further hearing.
The Ekweremadus had earlier arrived at the West Minister Magistrates Court for the continuation of their trial.
The prosecution has now accepted that Ukpo is 21, contrary to his claim of 15. The case was, thereafter, adjourned and transferred to the Criminal Court in Central London.
By the ruling, Ekweremadu and Beatrice, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, are to remain in custody till the next hearing date.
On Wednesday, July 6, a Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to supply the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) with the Certified True Copy (CTC) of Ukpo’s biodata information for onward transmission to the UK.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, gave the order following an omnibus application made by Muazu Mohammed, counsel for NIMC to the effect.
Ekweremadu and Beatrice had, in the application dated and filed on June 27 by their lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), sued NIMC and four others- the Comptroller General (C-G) of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS); Stanbic-IBTC Bank; United Bank of Africa (UBA) Plc and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc as 2nd to 5th respondents, respectively.
In the originating summons, marked ‘FHC/ABJ/CS/984/2022,’ the couple prayed the court for an order directing all the defendants to supply them with the CTC of Ukpo’s biodata in their care for the purpose of facilitating the criminal investigation and tendering same to establish their innocence with respect to Ukpo’s age in the criminal charges against them.
The couple were remanded in the UK police custody on June 23 after they were first arraigned before the Uxbridge Magistrate Court for alleged conspiracy to facilitate the travel of Ukpo, alleged to be a minor, for organ harvesting.
They, however, denied the allegations and the court adjourned until yesterday, July 7, for hearing.
Ekweremadu also appeared before the Uxbridge Magistrate Court on June 30, where he was denied a bail.
