Former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has
told a court in London that he sought to buy a kidney for his sick daughter and
failed to request from family members based on an advice by a medical
practitioner.
In a report by Sky News, Prosecutor Hugh Davies KC during
cross-examination of the lawmaker, said, “On the question of whether a family
member could, in principle, act as a donor, you decided that was not possible
based on a reported conversation between your non-nephrologist brother and Dr
Obeta, a non-nephrologist?”
Responding, Ekweremadu said, “He would have had basic
knowledge. I’m not a doctor, so if he says so, I believe him.”
But Davies said, “All you had to do, rather than rely on a second-hand account from non-nephrologists, was to ask one of the specialists you were consulting whether a family member could donate a kidney.”
Ekweremadu, however, suggested he had “limited
intelligence,” a claim that was rejected by the prosecutor, who said, “It is
incredible. You do not lack intelligence.”
Davies continued, “The fact is you did not even try to ask
Sonia’s cousins, for example, to consider acting as a donor.
“What you are saying is you had no intention of anyone in
your family – immediate or extended – stepping up to donate a kidney to Sonia.
“Far better to buy one and let the medical risk go to
someone you don’t know.”
Responding, Ekweremadu said it was “not true” that he agreed
to get a donor by going through agents for the task.
Davies responded, “The pattern of communication reflects
none of the type of human communication and contact you would expect if you and
your family had believed that (the proposed donor) was a good Samaritan.”
Ekweremadu repeated, “Not true.”
Davies asserted, “The transplant with (the donor), not having
gone ahead, you and your family then immediately sought to recruit further
donors for reward, transferring jurisdiction out of the UK to Turkey.
“That failed too because even that donor had not been
trained properly to give the false answers when interviewed.”
The defendant dismissed the prosecutor’s claims, saying,
“These are not the facts.”
Davies continued, “You did not move away from the Royal Free
clinical team because they lacked expertise.
“When another donor was required you immediately sought to
transfer the clinical process to Turkey.”
On why the Ekweremadus had been prepared to leave an
“internationally recognised centre of excellence” in London for an unknown
quantity in Turkey, the lawmaker replied Davies, saying treatment in Turkey was
“cheaper”.
Mr Davies responded, “You were looking to cut corners on
your daughter’s clinical outcome to save money? You were a wealthy man,
senator.”
Charges against the
Ekweremadus
Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, are currently facing
charges in the United Kingdom after they allegedly lured a young man from
Nigeria to harvest his organ for their ailing daughter, Sonia, who is also
standing trial.
The lawmaker was last year arrested and had been in the
custody of UK authorities after they received complaints from the young man
about their alleged plans to harvest his organ.
According to Daily Mail, the young man, a trader from Lagos,
was to be rewarded for donating a kidney to Sonia in an £80,000 private
procedure at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
The Ekweremadus, however, decided to turn their interest to
Turkey in search of the needed organ after the 21-year-old was rejected as
unsuitable.
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