A magistrate’s court in London has denied bail to Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice over charges they trafficked a 15-year-old Lagos boy with the intention to harvest his organ.
The arrest was announced by the London Metropolitan Police on Thursday, with officials saying the couple would be charged promptly before a court in Uxbridge.
According to the Metropolitan Police, they were arrested and charged with bringing a child to the UK for organ harvesting.
The child, whose identity was not disclosed, is reportedly with the Metropolitan Police, while the suspects are currently in custody pending a few hours when they would be arraigned at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court.
In a statement, Metropolitan Police said: “A woman and a man were charged today with conspiring to arrange the travel of a child into the UK in order to harvest organs.
Mr Ekweremadu appeared before a magistrate on Thursday afternoon and was denied bail. The case was subsequently adjourned until July 7, after the child involved was identified as a homeless 15-year-old from Lagos
“The charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime team.
“[A] Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55 (10.9.66) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
“[B] Ike Ekweremadu, 60 (12.05.62) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
“They have both been remanded in custody and will appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court later today.
“The investigation was launched after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022. A child has been safeguarded and we are working closely with partners on continued support. As criminal proceedings are now under way we will not be providing further details.”
The suspect shares the same name with former Deputy Senate President. It’s unclear if he is the one or they are related.
