Organ harvesting: UK court grants Ekweremadu’s wife bail after 31 days in custody

A British court last Friday granted bail to Beatrice, wife of former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

The couple has been in police custody since June for allegedly trafficking a Nigerian into the United Kingdom for organ harvesting.

However, the former deputy senate president was denied bail when they appeared at the Old Bailey for the hearing on their bail application.

While ruling on the bail application, the Common Sergeant of London, Judge Richard Marks, granted the 55-year-old Beatrice bail under stringent conditions.

He said: “The position is that I have granted bail to Beatrice subject to some fairly stringent conditions, but I have refused bail to Ike.”

The Ekweremadus were arrested at Heathrow Airport on June 21, after arriving on a flight from Turkey, following months of underground investigations into the allegations that they had smuggled an underage into the UK to harvest his kidney without his consent.

Read also:EKWEREMADU SAGA: Prosecution agrees kidney donor not 15 years but 21

The said victim, David Ukpo who was later found out to be 21-years-old, allegedly escaped immediately they got to London and was homeless for three days before he turned up at Staines Police Station to report that the Senator and his wife had brought him into the UK illegally.

The prosecution counsel, Tim Probert-Wood, who objected to the bail application, argued that the case involved “exploitation and the harvesting of an organ.”

He said: “The case began on May 5, 2022 when the complainant presented himself at Staines Police Station and claimed he had been transported to this country for the purpose of his kidney being removed.

“He arrived on February 20, 2022 and was taken to Royal Free Hospital where tests were conducted.

“For the purpose he was there he did not consent to the taking of his kidney. He returned to the house he was staying and his treatment changed dramatically. He described being treated effectively as a slave.”

“The case began on 5 May 2022 when the complainant presented himself at Staines Police Station and claimed he had been transported to this country for the purpose of his kidney being removed.

“He arrived on 20th February 2022 and was taken to Royal Free Hospital where tests were conducted.

“For the purpose he was there he did not consent to the taking of his kidney. He returned to the house he was staying and his treatment changed dramatically. He described being treated effectively as a slave,” Probert-Wood had told the court.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now