Protests As Ekweremadu, Wife Appear In UK Court
The human trafficking case filed against former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Mrs. Beatrice Ekweremadu, resumed on Tuesday in a court in London, the United Kingdom.
The appearance of the Ekweremadu however witnessed the convergence of protesters both for and against the defendants in front of the court ahead of the proceedings.
AFP report indicated that before court proceedings, there was a gathering of protesters, some of whom were in support of the Ekweremadus while others were against.
Ekweremadu was in June 2022, arrested alongside his wife at the Heathrow Airport in London on the allegation that they flew a young man from Nigeria to the United Kingdom to harvest his organ.
The prosecution also alleged that the organ was meant for Ekweremadu’s daughter, Sonia, who is currently hospitalised with a kidney-related illness.
Some Nigerians had in October 2022 protested in Abuja against the continued detention of Ekweremadu, who has so far spent 223 days in the custody of United Kingdom authorities.
Protesters, once again, gathered at the court on Tuesday to either support the embattled Ekweremadu or protest his continued detention in the UK custody.
“I mean, this case is unbelievable,” one protester, Citizen ***, was quoted by AFP as saying.
“Where else in the world would you have a deputy senate president, who is still a serving senator, he’s still getting his regular wage?”
According to Daily Mail, Sonia couldn’t make it to court on Tuesday but sought permission with a psychological report by her team claiming she was not fit to stand trial.
She had pleaded not guilty to the allegation of trafficking a homeless man into the UK to harvest his organs for herself, when she appeared in court on November 7, 2022.
The young man, who levelled the allegation against the Ekweremadus, told Staines Police Station that he was made to undergo some medical tests, none of which he consented to.
A 50-year-old medical doctor from South London, Obinna Obeta, was also arrested in connection to the allegation.
During proceedings at the Old Bailey court, Ekweremadu who wore a grey tracksuit top only said “Yes, miss” when asked to confirm his name.
Seated beside the lawmaker in the dock and dressed in black was his wife who was granted bail in July 2022 while her husband was said to be a flight risk.
