A UK court had on Friday sentenced former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu to nine years and eight months in jail for plotting to harvest a man’s kidney for his sick daughter.
Meanwhile, Ekweremadu’s wife Beatrice was handed four years, six months sentence while Obinna Obeta, a medical doctor got a 10 years sentence for the same offence.
The trio of Ekweremadu, Beatrice, and Obeta were convicted of conspiracy to arrange the travel of a young Nigerian man who was identified as David Nwamini to Britain to exploit him for his kidney.
The organ was needed for Ekweremadu’s sick daughter, Sonia.
Their trial lasted six weeks before he was convicted at the Old Bailey, London’s Central Criminal Court today.
The conviction is the first under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015.
The sentencing comes after pleas from prominent personalities and institutions, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Other petitioners included both chambers of the National Assembly; the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa; and the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC).
The charges were preferred on the Ekweremadus on June 23, 2022, when their arrest was announced. Obeta was later arraigned on July 13, 2022. While his wife was granted bail, the senator was refused.
After months of a pre-trial, the trial commenced on January 31, 2023, and lasted about six weeks, culminating in a guilty verdict against Ekweremadu, Beatrice, and Obeta.
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