Tears are shed as the sentencing date for Ekweremadu, his wife, and the doctor is announced by a UK court

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Sonia, the 25-year-old daughter of the late Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, sobbed after learning of her parents’ conviction by a British court yesterday.

Having planned to take advantage of David Nwamini, the 60-year-old senator, his 56-year-old wife Beatrice, and 51-year-old Dr. Obinna Obeta were found guilty.

On May 5, they will receive their sentence, and they could spend up to 10 years behind bars.

According to a statement from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the trio were found guilty by the UK Magistrate’s Court of bringing Nwamini from Nigeria to Britain in order to provide a kidney for Ekweremadu’s 25-year-old daughter, Sonia.

The same charge that Sonia’s parents and the Nigerian doctor were found guilty of was dropped against her.

Sonia, who had chosen not to provide testimony, sobbed as the jury found in her favor.

In preparation for the May 5 sentencing, her father was placed in remand custody along with the others. She gave him a tearful hug.

In the organ harvesting case, a life sentence is the maximum penalty, according to the prosecution.

Chief Crown Prosecutor Joanne Jakymec called the conspiracy a horrific plot after the convictions.

She uttered:.
This was a horrifying scheme to traffic a victim into the UK for the purpose of a kidney transplant, taking advantage of his vulnerability.

“The convicted defendants displayed utter disregard for the victim’s welfare, health, and well-being and used their considerable influence to a high degree of control throughout, with the victim having a limited understanding of what was really going on in this case. “.

To find Ekweremadu, Beatrice, and Obeta guilty after nearly 14 hours of deliberation.

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Esther Richardson, a detective inspector with the Metropolitan Police, praised the victim for his courage in speaking out against the offenders.

It is the first time defendants have been found guilty of an organ-trafficking conspiracy under the Modern Slavery Act, in her words, and the police, Crown Prosecution Service, and Human Tissue Authority teams “worked tirelessly” on the case.

The Ekweremadus and Dr. Obeta refuted the accusations made against them.

Ekweremadu had been detained since June 23 of the previous year. A criminal court in London granted bail to his wife, who was also arrested, shortly after their detention.

Last year, Nwamini, a street vendor from Lagos, was brought to the UK for an £80,000 private kidney transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in Camden, North London, to help Sonia.

He asserted that in order to get the transplant approved, he was instructed to pose as Sonia’s cousin.

However, a consultant employed by the NHS hospital refused to remove the crucial organ because he had grown suspicious after the volunteer kidney donor initially appeared to be unaware of his task.

According to police investigators, Nwamini claimed he was taken to the Royal Free to meet the surgeon before learning that his kidney would be removed.

On May 5, 2022, he entered the Staines Police Station after fleeing and spending roughly three days sleeping on the streets.

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