Ekweremadu Gate: Victim Seeks Asylum In UK

EKO HOT BLOG reports that David Nwamini, the young man at the center of an organ trafficking case involving former Nigerian senator Ike Ekweremadu, has appealed to stay in the UK, claiming that his life would be at risk if he returned to Nigeria.

The would-be kidney donor made the plea in an impact statement read in court during the sentencing of Ekweremadu, his wife, Beatrice, and the doctor-middleman, Obinna Obeta.

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The three were found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiring to exploit Nwamini’s body for his kidney, with the Ekweremadus’ 25-year-old daughter, Sonia, in dire need of a transplant.

Nwamini, who claimed that he was unaware of the true reason for his travel to the UK, said that he wanted to remain and work in the UK, where he could pursue his dreams of education and football. He expressed his concern for his safety in Nigeria, saying that he feared arrest or even death.

“I worry for my safety in Nigeria. Those people can do anything. I think they could arrest me or kill me in Nigeria. My plan now is to work and to get an education and to play football,” Nwamini said in his statement.

He also revealed that someone had visited his father in Nigeria, urging him to drop the case. Despite being a victim in the case, Nwamini stated that he did not want to claim compensation from the “bad people” involved, as he believed it would bring him “cursed and bad luck.”

While it is lawful to donate a kidney, it is illegal to receive any form of compensation for the act. The Ekweremadus and Obeta were arrested on June 21, 2022, as they arrived at Heathrow Airport. Ekweremadu was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in jail, Beatrice to 4 years and six months, and Obeta to 10 years.

The case has raised concerns about organ trafficking and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals, particularly in developing countries, where the demand for organs often exceeds supply.

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The UK has laws in place to prevent organ trafficking, and those found guilty of the crime can face up to 14 years in jail.

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