UK Stands Firm on Organ Trafficking Sentence
The UK government has formally rejected a request from Nigeria to deport a former senior Nigerian politician convicted of organ trafficking, ensuring he serves his full sentence in Britain.
Ike Ekweremadu, 63, a former deputy president of the Nigerian senate, is currently serving a prison sentence of nine years and eight months. He was found guilty in 2023 of conspiring to exploit a man for his kidney, marking the first conviction for organ trafficking under the UK's Modern Slavery Act.
A Despicable Plot Uncovered
Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and their medical accomplice, Dr Obinna Obeta, orchestrated a scheme to traffic a young man to London. Their intention was to harvest his kidney for a transplant to Ekweremadu's daughter, Sonia, which was planned to take place in a private unit of an NHS hospital.
In February 2022, the victim was taken to the Royal Free Hospital in London. The conspirators falsely presented him as Sonia's cousin and claimed he had agreed to the procedure for £80,000. They even bribed a medical secretary, but the hospital rejected the transplant attempt in March 2022. Crucially, the medics involved did not report their suspicions to the police.
The plot unravelled only when the victim, known in court as 'C', fled to the police. He feared for his life, believing Obeta was preparing him for another transplant attempt in Nigeria.
Deportation Request Denied
Last week, a Nigerian government delegation led by Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar met with officials at the UK's Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to discuss Ekweremadu's case. The delegation formally requested his deportation to serve the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria.
A source at the MoJ confirmed that this request was rejected. The UK government's position was rooted in concern that Nigeria could offer no guarantees Ekweremadu would continue his prison sentence if deported.
A government spokesperson declined to comment on individual cases but stated: "Any prisoner transfer is at our discretion following a careful assessment of whether it would be in the interests of justice." Another source was more direct, affirming: "The UK will not tolerate modern slavery and any offender will face the full force of UK law."
This decision has sparked debate in Nigeria, with critics questioning why the government is intervening for Ekweremadu and not for the more than 230 other Nigerians imprisoned in the UK.
Sentencing and Aftermath
During sentencing, Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson described the actions of the three conspirators as a "despicable trade." He stated unequivocally, "The harvesting of human organs is a form of slavery. It treats human beings and their bodies as commodities to be bought and sold."
The judge identified Ekweremadu as the "driving force" behind the plot, noting his conviction represented a "very substantial fall from grace."
Beatrice Ekweremadu, who received a sentence of four years and six months, was released earlier this year after serving half her term in custody and has since returned to Nigeria. Dr Obinna Obeta, who had himself received a kidney transplant at the Royal Free in July 2021 from another allegedly trafficked man, was sentenced to 10 years, with two-thirds to be served in prison.
The case exposed significant vulnerabilities and complacency within the UK health system regarding organ trafficking, raising serious questions for medical regulators and the NHS.
