London police said last Thursday that not one but two Nigerians, including a serving senator, have been charged with plotting to have a child brought into the United Kingdom to harvest their organs. Part of the alleged offense was committed abroad; as a result, the attorney general’s consent is required for the case to continue.
Now, a former Nigerian deputy Senator, 60-year-old Ike Ekweremadu, was taken into custody with his wife Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, who is 55. Ike is facing a conspiracy charge to arrange or facilitate the travel of another person for exploitation under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, while his wife is facing the charge of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person for exploitation.
The Nigerian Immigration Authority denied the victim was a minor earlier this week. The Ekweremadus’ lawyers informed the judges that the pair have family in London but reside in Nigeria. Due to jurisdiction issues, the prosecution requested authorization from the court to continue. The prosecutor asked for the Attorney General’s decision on whether she could take the pair to trial in the UK.
The comptroller general, Idriss Jerre, cites the alleged victim’s birth certificate and National Identity Number, which was provided while registering for his passport, revealed that he was twenty-one years old. Countering the Nigerian Immigration Authority, the Metropolitan Police released the child’s age saying the child was fifteen.
It is ideal to know that in Nigeria, the age of consent is the ripe age of ten, making it seem as though the Immigration Authority has a history of treating what the world considers children as adults.
Ekweremadu stood wearing a grey tracksuit and appeared on the bench at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court while carrying a bible. The former Senator and his wife were not granted bail and are set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ court on the 7th of July.
The Metropolitan Police took the 15-year-old into care following the pair’s arrest. Officials followed up their statement by saying agencies were collaborating to support him.
