Nigerian Politician Accused Of Trying To Harvest Child's Organs In UK

A Nigerian politician allegedly plotted to transport a homeless boy to the United Kingdom to harvest the minor's organs.

Nigerian opposition senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, aged 60 and 55, respectively, were arrested at London's Heathrow Airport Tuesday, The Guardian reported.

Both were charged with conspiracy to arrange and/or facilitate the travel of another person with a view to exploitation after they allegedly plotted to traffic a homeless 15-year-old boy to Britain to harvest his organs.

The child has been taken into care, a report by the BBC said. Agencies are working to support him, according to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

The charges against the Ekweremadu couple were reportedly related to an alleged activity that occurred between August 1, 2021, and May 5, 2022.

The two appeared before Uxbridge Magistrates' Court in west London Thursday. Both denied the allegations.

"We are deeply concerned about the nature of these allegations but as this is an active police investigation, we cannot comment further at this stage," said Gavin Irwin, who represented Ike.

Meanwhile, Beatrice, an accountant, "has never been complicit or involved in any alleged illegal trafficking of any young person," her defense claimed.

"She is a financial accountant... with an unblemished record," Antonia Gray, for Beatrice, said.

British Prosecutors now need the consent of the U.K.'s Attorney General and the Crown to proceed due to jurisdiction issues, the court heard.

It will take at least 14 days for permission to be obtained, Prosecutor Damla Ayas told the court.

The couple has been remanded in custody. They are set to appear before Uxbridge Magistrates' Court again on July 7.

The MPS' specialist crime team launched an investigation after detectives were alerted to potential offenses under the U.K.'s modern slavery legislation back in May.

Ike, who has been a senator in Nigeria since 2003, is a member of the opposition People's Democratic Party. He served three terms as deputy president of the Senate from 2007 to 2019.

The senator was recently made a visiting professor at the University of Lincoln.

"Visiting professors are often, as is in this case, non-resident at the university, unpaid and advisory. We are deeply concerned about the nature of these allegations but as this is an active police investigation, we cannot comment further at this stage," a spokesperson for the university said.

Organ harvesting, which involves the removal of body parts, is often done against the victim's will and for commercial gain.

Illegal procurement is a "massive problem" in Nigeria, according to Debbie Ariyo, the chief executive of the London-based charity Africans United Against Child Abuse.

Trafficking for organ removal was a concern in the north and west Africa, "where impoverished communities and displaced populations are at greater risk of exploitation," a report from the International Criminal Police Organization, also known as Interpol, found.