Organ Harvesting: Ike Ekweremadu, wife denied bail in UK, to remain in Custody
Vondigest reports that Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice have been denied bail by a magistrate’s court in London over charges that they trafficked a 15-year-old homeless Lagos boy with the intention to harvest his organs.
The Uxbridge Magistrate Court in London has denied bail to former Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife Beatrice over claims that they trafficked a 15-year-old boy from Lagos to the UK with the intent to harvest his organ.
The arrest was announced by the London Metropolitan Police on Thursday, with officials saying the couple would be charged promptly before a court in Uxbridge
According to Arise TV, the prosecutors at the court this afternoon said the Ekweremadu’s were being charged for bringing the 15-year-old boy from Nigeria to the UK with the claim that he was to be given a better life in the UK but was actually to harvest his organ. The prosecutors told the court that the former Senate President procured a passport for the boy and claimed he was 21 years old but they discovered that he was 15 years old.
The prosecutors also told the court that the Ekweremadu’s have a daughter who has a kidney-related disease and has been on dialysis for quite some time. They told the court that it is believed that the plan was to use an organ from the boy on their daughter who appears to need a kidney transplant.
Ekweremadu and his wife had separate legal representatives and prayed the court to release them on bail but their prayers were however dismissed by the Magistrate. The couple has surrendered their passports to the UK government.
The couple was arrested at Heathrow airport, on their way to Istanbul, Turkey and according to the prosecutors, it is believed that they were on their way to procure another organ as they were unable to harvest the organ of the boy. The prosecutors also stated that $20, 000 cash was found on Mr. Ekweremadu.
According to Arise, the red flag was raised after the boy truthfully disclosed his age, 15, to the doctors at the Royal Free hospital in the UK. The doctors canceled the procedure and the boy was immediately taken into the custody of the family who according to the prosecutors treated him like a slave until he escaped and found his way to the police where an investigation started, leading to the arrest of the couple.
Arise news reports that according to the prosecutors, the Ekweremadus found the boy off the streets in Lagos, he was homeless and they brought him to the UK under the pretense of offering him a better life. The defense however says there is far more than meets the eye regarding the case.
Mr Ekweremadu appeared before a magistrate on Thursday afternoon and was denied bail.
The case was subsequently adjourned until July 7. The Senator and his wife have been under investigation since May 2022.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the former deputy senate President, Uche Anichukwu proved abortive as the calls went unanswered.
