Sonia Ekweremadu,
daughter of Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president, says her
parents sought a kidney donor for her from outside because of the family’s
health history.
Sonia, who spoke in an interview
with BBC following the sentencing of Ekweremadu to nine
years and eight months in prison by a UK court for organ trafficking, said her
father’s family has a history of kidney conditions.
Beatrice, Ekweremadu’s wife, was also sentenced to four
years and six months in jail.
The couple got entangled in the organ trafficking case while trying to find a donor for Sonia who has been on dialysis.
The 25-year-old explained that she had a gene that
necessitated her to find a donor outside family members.
Ekweremadu had told
a UK court in March that he opted for a non-family kidney donor for
Sonia following advice from Diwe, his brother who is a medical doctor.
“It’s sad. It has been really hard to really wrap my head
around it. I understand the conviction; personally, I disagree with it.
However, that is from a very biased perspective. As their daughter, I would
obviously always back my parents. However, the law has taken its course and we
have to just move forward as a family,” BBC quoted Sonia as saying.
“I had the APO1 gene.
To us, that kind of excluded the family, especially on my dad’s side because
they have quite a history of kidney conditions.”
Asked if she was aware that the donor at the centre of the
case was portrayed as her cousin, she replied: “Yea, I mean, I can’t answer
that”.
She added that she did not “feel anything toward him” and
that she “wish him all the best”.
Sonia said that she felt guilty for the plight that has
befallen her family, adding that her lesson from the whole happenstance is that
life is dynamic.
“Life is just so
dynamic. One day you are in your house chilling, the next day, your whole life
is turned upside down,” she said.
“I don’t think it would ever be the same. I feel guilty
because I feel that all this has happened because of me.”
She added that though some persons came forward as donors
after the case went public, she is still on dialysis but “hopefully, I would be
able to get the transplant soon”.
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