A former Nigerian deputy senate president, his wife, and a doctor have been convicted of organ trafficking in a landmark case under the Modern Slavery Act. Ike Ekweremadu, 60, Beatrice Ekweremadu, 56, and Dr Obinna Obeta, 51, were found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiring to exploit a 21-year-old Lagos street trader for his kidney.
The court heard that the victim was brought to London in February 2022 to donate a kidney to the Ekweremadus' daughter, Sonia, who suffered from kidney disease. He was falsely presented as her cousin to a private renal unit at the Royal Free Hospital in a failed attempt to secure an £80,000 transplant. The prosecution described the defendants' treatment of the victim as viewing him as a 'disposable asset' in an 'emotionally cold commercial transaction'.
Ike Ekweremadu, a lawyer and anti-poverty campaigner who helped draft Nigeria's organ trafficking laws, claimed he was the victim of a scam. However, prosecutor Hugh Davies KC highlighted his 'entitlement, dishonesty and hypocrisy', noting that he ignored medical advice to seek a donor among family members. WhatsApp messages revealed Obeta charged Ekweremadu 4.5 million naira (about £8,000) in fees.
The victim was offered an illegal reward for his kidney, and the defendants admitted falsely claiming he was Sonia's cousin in visa and hospital documents. Sonia Ekweremadu was found not guilty. The judge, Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson, will pass sentence on 5 May.
Chief Crown Prosecutor Joanne Jakymec called it a 'horrific plot' showing 'utter disregard for the victim's welfare'. Detective Inspector Esther Richardson of the Metropolitan Police described it as a 'landmark conviction'.
