Two Nigerians have been arrested in the UK and charged with conspiring to arrange to bring a child to the UK to harvest organs.
According to a statement released by the Metropolitan police, the couple who bear the same name and are of the same age with the former deputy senate president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ike Ekweremadu (60) and his wife Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu (55) have been charged for arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
Both Ike and his wife Beatrice have been remanded in custody and are expected to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates court later today.
The investigation began after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022, and the child in question has been safeguarded according to the MET Police.
Why Is This Important?
Ike Ekweremadu was elected as deputy Senate President in April 2007. He is a lawyer and politician who hails from Enugu state and has served in the Senate since May 2003. He serves as the deputy senate president for three consecutive senate terms — 6th, 7th and 8th.
In 2009, Ekweremadu was appointed to lead the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ad hoc committee working on return of constitutional order in the Niger Republic. In 2011, he was also elected as First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament and emerged the Speaker of the regional parliament.
What are the implications?
For now, the Metropolitan police have refrained from providing further details stating that criminal proceedings are underway. There are unverified claims of the Ekweremadu’s attempting to secure organs for their terminally ill child, hence the attempt to harvest the organs of the child in question.
I know that Ekweremadu's child has been battling a terminal disease for sometime.
Could it be that they needed to replace his organ with this child's own?
Time will tell.
— Malachy Odo II (@MalachyOdo1) June 23, 2022
More details are to come as the story unfolds.