Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, was, on Friday, in Britain sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison for plotting to harvest a man’s kidney, David Nwamini, for his sick daughter, Sonia.
It was Britain’s first illegal organ-harvesting prosecution, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Friday.
His wife, Beatrice, was also sentenced to prison by the UK court. She was sentenced to be jailed for four years and six months.
The medical doctor who was the middleman in the plot, Dr Obinna Obeta, was sentenced 10 years.
His medical licence was also suspended.
Ekweremadu, alongside his wife, Beatrice, were alleged to have been involved in organ harvesting linked-crimes.
The Metropolitan Police charged them with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
They were accused of arranging or facilitating the movement of David Nwamini “picked from the streets of Lagos under false pretence”.
Their trial lasted for six weeks and conviction at the Old Bailey, London’s Central Criminal Court, was done on Friday.
Sonia Ekweremadu – who has a serious kidney condition – wept as she was cleared of the same charge.
Mr Justice Johnson told the defendants: “In each of your cases, the offence you committed is so serious that neither a fine nor a community sentence can be justified.”
It was alleged the 21-year-old street trader was to be rewarded for donating the organ to Sonia Ekweremadu, in an £80,000 private procedure at London’s Royal Free Hospital.
The case marked the first time defendants have been convicted under the Modern Slavery Act of an organ harvesting conspiracy.
While it is lawful to donate a kidney, it becomes criminal if money or another material advantage is rewarded.
The prosecution claimed the donor was offered up to £7,000 along with the promise of a better life in the UK.
The donor did not understand until his first appointment with a consultant at the hospital that he was there for a kidney transplant, the Old Bailey was told.
According to the consultant, he had a “limited understanding” of why he was there and was “visibly relieved” at being told the operation would not go ahead.
It was claimed the man was falsely presented as Sonia Ekweremadu’s cousin in a failed attempt to persuade medics to carry out the procedure at the Royal Free Hospital.
On the question of harm to the victim, the judge said: “The transplant did not go ahead but each intended that it should go ahead and you each intended the harm to the donor that would result.
“He would have faced spending the rest of his life with only one kidney and without the requisite funding for the required aftercare”.
He added that the risks had not been properly explained to the victim and there had been no consent “in any meaningful sense”.
The Ekweremadus, who have an address in Willesden Green, northwest London, and Dr Obeta, from Southwark, south London, had denied the charge against them.
Sonia Ekweremadu, who takes dialysis weekly, declined to give evidence but it was said on her behalf she knew nothing of a reward offered to donors.
During the trial earlier this year, prosecutor Joanne Jakymec called it a “horrific plot” and said the defendants “showed utter disregard for the victim’s welfare, health and wellbeing”.
Ekweremadu was born on May 12, 1962 at Amachara Mpu Village in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, into the royal family of the late Igwe Mathias Ekweremadu, the Okwaa Anekeoji 1 of Mpu, Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State.
On completing primary school education, Ekweremadu proceeded to St. Dominic’s Secondary School, Ugiri, Imo State and then transferred to Boys’ Secondary School, Umueze Awkunanaw, where he obtained a Grade 1 in his West African School Certificate.
He secured admission to study Law at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and graduated in 1986. He completed Law School and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987.
Thereafter, he went further to obtain his Masters in Law from the same University in 1999 and then completed his Doctorate programme at the University of Abuja in 2014.
The 60-year-old Ekweremadu began his political career at the grassroots when he held the position of Chairman of Mpu Town Union, Enugu State.
He was elected the pioneer Chairman of Aninri Local Government Council when it was created in 1997. His performance won him the Best Council Chairman award of the year in 1997.
He was appointed Chief of Staff, Enugu State Government House and subsequently the Secretary to the Government of Enugu State from 1999 to 2003.
In 2003, Ekweremadu, for the first time, contested in the Senatorial election and won. He was elected Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to represent Enugu West Senatorial District on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
While in the Senate, Ekweremadu was elected the Deputy President of the Senate in 2007. As the Deputy President of the Senate, he was given the job of handing out committee chairmanship positions allocated to the Southeast zone, making decisions that were unpopular with some senators.
In July 2007, he was instrumental to defusing objections to the controversial nomination of Ojo Maduekwe to a ministerial position.
In September 2009, Ekweremadu was made co-chairman of a committee to conduct the primary elections for the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship aspirants in Anambra State.
In September 2009, he was appointed to lead the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
He was also in an ad hoc committee whose duty was to work for the return of constitutional order in Niger Republic.
He was elected First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament and emerged the Speaker of the regional parliament in August 2011. Again in 2011, he retained his position as Deputy President of the Senate.
In the senatorial election of 2015, he again contested and was re-elected as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to represent Enugu West Senatorial District. It is important to state here that he was again adopted as the Deputy President of the Senate.
Ekweremadu has several motions and bills to his credit. In addition, he was the Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the 1999 Constitution Review. The free and fair elections experienced in 2011 derives its credence from the Electoral Reform which was duly facilitated by the Constitution Review Committees of the National Assembly.
Ekweremadu and his wife have four children.
The senator has to his credit several awards, honours and traditional titles. He was inducted as a Knight of the Order of the Good Shepherd, Diocese of Enugu (Anglican Communion)
His Awards, Honours, and Recognitions include:
Dr Kwame Nkrumah Africa Leadership Award
Doctor of Laws, LLD (Honoris Causa) University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
Ochiagha Ndigbo (Generalissimo of Igboland) by Eze Nri, the custodian of Igbo culture and tradition; Ikeoha Ndigbo (Pride and Strength of Ndigbo) by the South East Council of Traditional Rulers.
He also holds the National Honour of the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR).
