Former Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice have denied all charges of human trafficking and organ harvesting filed against them before a UK magistrate’s court.
The couple said they did not procure a minor in order to abduct and harvest his organ, contradicting the charges filed by the Metropolitan Police at Uxbridge Magistrate’s Court, London, on Thursday afternoon.
The charges were “nothing short of preposterous,” the Ekweremadus said through their lawyer Gavin Irwin, who added that the couple never “arranged transport for anyone with intention to exploit them.”
Despite strongly denying the allegations, the Ekweremadus were remanded in custody until commencement of trial on July 7.
Mr Ekweremadu has been a member of the Nigerian Senate since 2003. He was the Deputy Senate President between 2015 and 2019. He sought but failed to clinch the PDP ticket for governorship race in his home Enugu State.
Mr Ekweremadu’s records “taken together go way beyond him being a person of good character…rather that he has led a blameless life as a public servant,” his lawyers added.
Antonia Gray, a lawyer to Mrs Ekweremadu, said: “She has never been complicit or involved in any alleged illegal trafficking of any young person.”
“She is a financial accountant with an unblemished record,” the lawyer added.
Meanwhile, a letter now made public shows that Senator Ekweremadu wrote to the UK High Commission seeking to procure a visa for someone named David Ukpo.
The December 28, 2021, letter signed personally by Mr Ekweremadu specifically said he was supporting Mr Ukpo’s visa application because he wanted him to undergo medical examinations in the UK with the purpose of donating a kidney to his daughter Sonia Ekweremadu.
Part of the letter reads,
“I am writing in support of the visa application made by Mr Ukpo Nwamini David who is currently having medical investigations for a kidney donation to Ms Sonia Ekweremadu.
“David and Sonia will be at the Royal Free Hospital London, and I will be providing the necessary funding. I have enclosed a statement of my bank account.”
I think Senator Ekeremadu would need to sue the British Police and whoever directed for his arrest. He had explicitly written to the British Consular before obtaining a visa for the boy in question. Whoever intend to soil his good name should pay for it.
Whoever did this to him don buy market. If I were to be in his shoes hmmm I will bill the person billions of pounds for defamation of character