Daniel, a 15-year-old from a village in Ebonyi state, Nigeria, was lured to London in 2022 with the promise of work and a new life. Instead, he was groomed to donate a kidney to the daughter of a powerful Nigerian senator. The plot was uncovered, leading to the UK's first organ-trafficking conviction under the Modern Slavery Act.
The lure of a better life
Daniel had been working at Ikotun Market in Lagos, selling phone accessories from a wheelbarrow, earning less than £10 a day. In 2021, his friend Ben disappeared and later called with news: he had a job in the UK. Ben sent videos of himself dancing in London, living the good life. Daniel was interested.
Soon after, a man named Obinna Obeta contacted Daniel, saying he could help him get to the UK and provide accommodation and work. But first, Daniel needed to go to Abuja for medical tests. Daniel assumed they were part of the visa process.
The plot unfolds
Obeta was a Nigerian radiologist who had moved to London for a kidney transplant. He had used a medical tourism company run by a Nigerian doctor, and his donor was Ben, whom he falsely claimed was his cousin. Obeta owed £27,000 for his own transplant and needed money.
Meanwhile, Sonia Ekweremadu, daughter of Nigerian senator Ike Ekweremadu, was suffering from kidney disease. Her uncle, Diwe, contacted Obeta to find a donor. Obeta agreed for a fee of just under £2,000 and reached out to Ben, who introduced Daniel.
Daniel's visa application falsely stated he was donating a kidney to his cousin Sonia, and that Obeta was his uncle. None of this was true.
The hospital interview
Upon arrival in London, Daniel was treated like a 'houseboy' by Obeta, his passport taken. He was coached to lie to doctors at the Royal Free hospital, where Sonia was being treated. During a meeting with consultant nephrologist Peter Dupont, Daniel was shocked to learn about the kidney transplant. He later testified: 'He had not told me anything about this. I would never have agreed to any of this. My body was not for sale.'
Dupont noted Daniel's unease and asked if he was scared to tell the Ekweremadus he didn't want to go ahead. Daniel said he did not want to donate. The hospital later ruled out the transplant.
Flight and arrest
Fearing he would be coerced back to Nigeria, Daniel fled and sought help at a police station. The Ekweremadus then planned a transplant in Turkey. In June 2022, Ike and Beatrice Ekweremadu were arrested at Heathrow, and Sonia was arrested the same day. Obeta was arrested the following month.
All pleaded not guilty. Ike claimed he thought Daniel was donating out of kindness, and accused Obeta of scamming him. He downplayed Daniel's vulnerability, saying Lagos youth are 'streetwise'.
Conviction and aftermath
In March 2023, Ike and Beatrice were found guilty of organ trafficking. Ike was sentenced to nine years and eight months, Beatrice to four and a half years. Sonia was acquitted. Obeta was sentenced to 10 years. It was the first successful organ-trafficking conviction in the UK under the Modern Slavery Act.
Daniel disappeared after testifying, placed in protective custody. His family in Nigeria heard nothing for over two years, until he called last year. His father died in August, and Daniel said he couldn't return due to his studies. Since then, contact has been lost again.
Sonia, in a BBC interview, said she disagreed with the conviction but accepted the law's course. She wished Daniel 'all the best'. Beatrice was released in January, and Nigeria's foreign minister requested Ike's transfer to Nigeria, which the UK rejected.
