A Picture collage of Ike Ekweremadu, Beatrice Ekweremadu, and Dr Obinna Obeta.
They were sentenced at London’s Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey under the Modern Slavery Act.
A British court has sentenced Ike Ekweremadu to nearly 10 years’ imprisonment for human organ trafficking.
His wife Beatrice was handed four years, six months sentence while Obinna Obeta, a medical doctor got a 10 years’ sentence for the same offence.
British journalist Chris Summers shared the news via his Twitter handle Friday afternoon.
They were sentenced at London’s Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey under the Modern Slavery Act.
The trio were in March convicted for trafficking a young Nigerian, David Ukpo, to the United Kingdom, for the purpose of harvesting his kidney for Sonia Ekweremadu, the daughter of the top Nigerian senator.
The jury said Ekweremadu, his wife and their doctor criminally conspired to bring the 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney.
The conviction is the first under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015.
The sentencing comes after pleas from multiple prominent personalities and institutions, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Other petitioners included both chambers of the National Assembly; the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa; and the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC).
The charges were preferred on the Ekweremadus on June 23, 2022, when their arrest was announced. Obeta was later arraigned on July 13, 2022. While his wife was granted bail, the senator was refused.
After months of a pre-trial, the trial commenced on January 31, 2023 and lasted about six weeks, culminating in a guilty verdict against Ekweremadu, Beatrice, and Obeta.
A British court has sentenced Ike Ekweremadu to nearly 10 years’ imprisonment for human organ trafficking.
His wife Beatrice was handed four years, six months sentence while Obinna Obeta, a medical doctor got a 10 years’ sentence for the same offence.
British journalist Chris Summers shared the news via his Twitter handle Friday afternoon.
They were sentenced at London’s Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey under the Modern Slavery Act.
The trio were in March convicted for trafficking a young Nigerian, David Ukpo, to the United Kingdom, for the purpose of harvesting his kidney for Sonia Ekweremadu, the daughter of the top Nigerian senator.
The jury said Ekweremadu, his wife and their doctor criminally conspired to bring the 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney.
The conviction is the first under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015.
The sentencing comes after pleas from multiple prominent personalities and institutions, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Other petitioners included both chambers of the National Assembly; the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa; and the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC).
The charges were preferred on the Ekweremadus on June 23, 2022, when their arrest was announced. Obeta was later arraigned on July 13, 2022. While his wife was granted bail, the senator was refused.
After months of a pre-trial, the trial commenced on January 31, 2023 and lasted about six weeks, culminating in a guilty verdict against Ekweremadu, Beatrice, and Obeta.
