In a six-week trial at the Old Bailey, a United Kingdom court has found Nigerian Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, guilty of organ trafficking, alongside medical doctor Dr. Obinna Obeta.
The trio were convicted of facilitating the travel of a young man to Britain with the intention of exploiting him for organ donation.
The victim, a street trader from Lagos, was promised opportunities in the UK for donating a kidney in an £80,000 private transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
The Ekweremadus and Obeta denied the charge against them but were found guilty.
While it is lawful to donate a kidney, it is illegal if there is a reward of money or other material advantage.
After the victim was rejected as unsuitable for donation, the Ekweremadus transferred their interest to Turkey and set about finding another donor.
The couple were arrested after the victim turned up at a police station, claiming he was the victim of trafficking.
The former deputy president of the Nigerian Senate and his wife were arrested in the UK in June 2022 after flying into Heathrow from Turkey.
