Ike Ekweremadu, the former Deputy Senate President, is accused of trying to sell his kidney in the UK by a Lagos street vendor, who on Tuesday pleaded with British police to “save my life” in court.
The unnamed 21-year-old man from Lagos claimed that Ike and his wife, Beatrice Ekweremadu, had flown him to London so that they could remove his kidney for their 25-year-old daughter Sonia, who has kidney disease.
The alleged victim testified before London’s Old Bailey Court that he had spent three days sleeping on the streets after physicians at a London hospital informed him that preliminary testing indicated he would not be a suitable donor.
Then, the court heard, he entered a police station in May and declared that he was “seeking for someone to rescue my life.”
The former street vendor claimed in prior evidence that a doctor who worked for the politician recruited him.
He testified to the jury that he initially believed he was travelling to the UK to work and only discovered he needed a kidney transplant after being transported to the Royal Free Hospital in London.
“Nobody told me about kidney transplant,” he said.
He told the court that he would be paid around £2,000 ($2,418) for the operation and that he had been coached to tell doctors he was part of the Ekweremadu family.
All three of the Ekweremadus and their doctor are on trial at London’s famous Central Criminal Court. They have pleaded not guilty and face life imprisonment if convicted.
In Britain, it is legal to donate a kidney, but not for reward. Prosecutors say regardless of whether or not the Lagos street trader gave his consent, a crime was committed by the wealthy Nigerians.
The consultant doctor said the young man had “limited understanding” of why he was there and was “visibly relieved” on being told the transplant would not go ahead, prosecutor Hugh Davies earlier told the court.
Ekweremadu, 60, is a senator for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party for Enugu State.
He has remained in custody after the judge agreed with prosecutors that he could try to flee the UK. His wife and daughter are out on conditional bail.