UK arraigns Nigerian doctor for conspiring with Ekweremadus to traffick ‘organ donor’

The UK authorities have filed charges against a Nigerian doctor named Obinna Obeta, based in London for allegedly plotting with former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, to traffic a homeless man into the UK to harvest a kidney for their daughter.

Obeta, 50, appeared before the Bexley Magistrate court on Thursday, July 13, and was charged under the Modern Slavery Act with arranging the travel of a 21-year-old man with a view to him being exploited between August last year and this May.

According to a report published by Daily Mail,  Obeta conspired with the former Senate President to arrange or facilitate the travel of the man with a view to him being exploited, namely organ harvesting.

Ekweremadus were arrested and are now being tried in the UK on charges of organ harvesting after a 21-year-old man, David Ukpo, they brought to the UK approached the police with claims of being treated as a slave and also claiming that he was 15 years old. The Nigerian politician and his wife were arrested in the UK on June 21 after flying into Heathrow from Turkey.

It was later discovered that David lied about his age as the biodata on his Nigerian bank accounts and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) indicated he was 21 years old.

Obeta was on Thursday charged with arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation and conspiring together with Ike Ekweremadu.

The former deputy senate president has denied the charges citing a letter written to the UK High Commission to help the alleged victim secure a visa in which the intention to travel as a kidney donor was clearly stated.

In a lawsuit filed in Nigeria seeking disclosure of the Ukpo’s official details, Ekweremadu claimed that the alleged victim was found not to be a match for kidney donation to his ailing daughter but did not want to return to Nigeria and therefore made false reports to tye UK police in order to secure asylum status.

The Ekweremadus are currently being held in separate prisons in the UK having been denied bail pending trial, while Ukpo is under the care of authorities.

The Nigerian national assembly has shown solidarity with the Eweremadus and have vowed to ensure that justice was served in the matter.