Hello Deepdives platform! It's a beautiful day to share with you news about a Nigerian senator who has been found guilty of human trafficking and in this case it was targeted towards harvesting the man's kidney. Stay tuned as we unveil the full details of the news. Good evening!
A wealthy Nigerian politician and his wife were convicted on Thursday of trafficking a street trader from Lagos to Britain to illegally harvest his kidney for a transplant for their seriously-ill daughter.Source
A seating Nigerian senator Ike Ekweremadu (a two time deputy senate president) has been found guilty of human trafficking by the UK court today.
Prosecutors said Ike Ekweremadu, 60, and his wife Beatrice, 56, had brought the man to London in February last year with the offer of a few thousand dollars for his organ and the promise of work in Britain.
The accused and his wife are very influential, wealth and powerful in the Nigerian society and can do anything to lure and convince anybody to do their bids. The victim is a trader in Lagos, Nigeria who was promised thousands of dollars if he'll comply with the illegal transplant.
They were convicted of conspiracy to arrange the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, along with a Nigerian doctor, Obinna Obeta, 51, who was described by prosecutors as a middle man.
This is conspiracy at it's peak and usurping the victim by trafficking him without due knowledge of what he was going to UK for, is a great offence.
Sonia Ekweremadu, the intended recipient of the organ who has a serious and deteriorating kidney condition and requires dialysis, was found not guilty of any part in the plan.
The case came to light when the man, who had made a living in Lagos selling telephone parts from a cart in a market, went to police saying he had been trafficked and someone was trying to harvest his kidney.
Donating kidney on its own isn't an unlawful act in the UK, it becomes a criminal offense when the donor is offered any form of rewards. The reward that Ike Ekweremadu offered the victim makes and his accomplices guilty of the alleged crimes.
According to the prosecutor Hugh Davies who told the court that there are somethings money and status cannot guarantee in a family and that includes good health. This is a true fact, which the wealthy needs to know and become humble in the society.
Police said the guilty verdicts marked the first time someone had been convicted in Britain of human trafficking for the purpose of organ harvesting.
"This conviction sends out a clear message across the world, the UK will not tolerate the international industry in illegal organ removal," Detective Inspector Esther Richardson said in a statement.