Nigerian politician’s ‘UK plot to harvest organs from a child’
Senator and wife held as they tried to fly to Turkey
A NIGERIAN senator and his wife have appeared in court accused of plotting to traffic a homeless child into the UK in order to harvest his organs.
Ike Ekweremadu, 60, and Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55, are charged with conspiracy to arrange or facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
Ike Ekweremadu wore a grey jumper while his wife wore a black and white knitted cardigan at Uxbridge Magistrates’ court yesterday.
Prosecutor Damla Ayas said of the charge: ‘It is conspiracy in relation to human trafficking offences for the purposes of organ harvesting. The victim in this case is 15 years old.’
The couple were arrested on 21 June
‘In possession of £20,000’
at Heathrow Airport before they flew to Turkey, the court heard.
She continued: ‘ Mr Ekweremadu in his prepared statement denied allegations of human trafficking.
‘He said at no stage has he arranged transport for anyone with intention to exploit them.’
His wife similarly denied the allegations in her prepared statement, the court heard.
Gavin Irwin, Ike Ekweremadu’s lawyer, said his client was a principal at a law firm and a member of the Nigerian bar.
The senator was said to have been in possession of £20,000 at the time of his arrest.
Mr Irwin and Antonia Gray, representing Beatrice Ekweremadu, said their clients should be bailed under strict conditions but their application was refused. Mr Irwin told the court: ‘ There is no question this is a serious allegation. Mr Ekweremadu is a member of the senate in Nigeria.
‘He has previously held an even more senior role as deputy president of the senate.
‘He is a member of the bar in Nigeria.
‘He is a principal in a law firm that bears his name.
‘Those issues taken together go way beyond him being a person of good character... rather that he has led a blameless life as a public servant.’
Mr Irwin added that the allegations were ‘nothing short of preposterous’. The politician was recently made a visiting professor at Lincoln University.
Miss Gray, for his wife, said: ‘She has never been complicit or involved in any alleged illegal trafficking of any young person.
‘She is a financial accountant... with an unblemished record.’ The pair were remanded in custody until their next court appearance on 7 July.
The Ekweremadus are charged with ‘conspiring to arrange or facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation... between 1 August 2021 and 5 May 2022 within the jurisdiction of Central Criminal Court’.
The investigation was launched by the Met’s Specialist Crime team after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation last month.
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that the boy the charges relate to is safe and being looked after.
Organ harvesting involves removing parts of the body, often for commercial gain and against the will of the victim.