Following their convictions for organ trafficking in March, Nigerian senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice Ekweremadu, and physician Obinna Obeta were all given prison terms by a UK court.
Senator Ike received a 9 years, 8 months sentence, while his wife Beatrice received a 6 year prison term. Obeta received a prison term of 10 years, 6 months.
Ekweremadu, Beatrice, and Obeta were found guilty of conspiring to organize the flight of David Nwamini, a young Nigerian man, to Britain in order to take advantage of him for his kidney.
Sonia, the ill daughter of Ekweremadu, need the organ.
Hugh Davies, the prosecutor, told the jury that Ekweremadu’s actions demonstrated “entitlement, dishonesty, and hypocrisy”.
Ekweremadu and Beatrice, his wife, disputed the accusation. They told the court they were duped and denied having any knowledge of the purported scheme.
On his end, Obeta also refuted the accusation, saying the man was acting sacrificially and had not been promised anything for his kidney.
In the meantime, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president of Nigeria, had written to the British government begging on behalf of the legislator to balance justice with mercy while passing the punishment.
In addition, Ohaneze Ndigbo, an Igbo sociocultural group, the Nigerian Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission supported the call for British authorities to show the troubled member some mercy.
