Sen Ike Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President, and his wife, Beatrice, have been found guilty of organ trafficking in the United Kingdom. The duo, along with their daughter Sonia and a medical doctor, Dr. Obinna Obeta, were convicted after a six‑week trial at the Old Bailey. The jury determined that they conspired to bring a 21‑year‑old Lagos street trader to London with the intention of exploiting him for his kidney. Justice Jeremy Johnson will pass sentencing at a later date, according to The Guardian UK.
The conviction marks the first verdict of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act. Ekweremadu and his wife were arrested last year for allegedly trafficking the young man into the country to harvest his kidney. Prosecutors said the victim was falsely presented as Sonia’s cousin in an attempt to persuade doctors to perform an £80,000 private procedure at the Royal Free Hospital. Sonia, who had to abandon a master’s degree in film at Newcastle University due to kidney disease, was allegedly offered an illegal reward to become a donor.
Prosecutor Hugh Davies KC told the court that Ekweremadu, Beatrice, and Dr. Obeta treated the man and other potential donors as “disposable assets – spare parts for reward.” He described their actions as an “emotionally cold commercial transaction” and characterized Ekweremadu’s behaviour as showing “entitlement, dishonesty and hypocrisy.” Davies emphasized that Ekweremadu’s agreement to obtain a kidney for his daughter was not a legitimate medical solution but an exploitative, criminal act, stating that love for a daughter does not justify exploiting a person in poverty.
On March 14, reports indicated that Beatrice denied any involvement in searching for an organ donor for Sonia. Ekweremadu claimed he involved the young man after his doctor advised against seeking a kidney donor from within the family.
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