July 23, (THEWILL) – A Nigerian doctor, Obinna Obeta, based in the UK, has been arraigned in a London court for allegedly conniving with Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, to facilitate the travel of Ukpo Nwamini David, for kidney harvesting.
THEWILL reported that the Metropolitan Police had on June 21, arrested the couple for allegedly planning to have David’s kidney removed for their daughter, Sonia, who is suffering from kidney failure.
Obeta, 50, of Hillbeck Close, Southwark, southeast London, appeared at Bexley Magistrates’ Court on 13 July.
According to Mail Online, he is charged under the Modern Slavery Act with arranging the travel of a 21-year-old man, with a view to him being exploited between August last year and May, 2022.
A second charge alleged he conspired with Ekweremadu, “to arrange or facilitate the travel” of the David Ukpo “with a view to him being exploited, namely organ harvesting.”
Prosecutor, Tim Probert-Wood, said previously that the case involved ‘exploitation and the harvesting of an organ.’
He said: “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 in and his treatment changed dramatically. He described being treated effectively as a slave.”
The victim, Ukpo, allegedly escaped the address and was homeless for three days before he turned up at Staines Police Station in Surrey.
According to police charges, Ukpo is said to have refused to consent to the procedure after undergoing tests at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north-west London.
The Ekweremadus were arrested at Heathrow Airport on June 21, after arriving on a flight from Turkey.
The couple had denied wrongdoing or that there was a criminal conspiracy, and claimed no exploitation occurred before the court.
Martin Hicks, QC, defending Senator Ekweremadu, has said: ‘We deny that there was any exploitation or any intent to do so. The argument will be factual denial.”
David, who earlier claimed to be a minor, had also confessed to the UK court that he is 21 years old.
All three defendants, who are in custody, are due to appear at the Old Bailey on August 4.
