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Real reasons Ike Ekweremadu, former Nigeria’s deputy senate president was found guilty of organ harvesting by UK court
By Barrister Emeka Ugwuonye
“David Ukpo Nwamini is the 21-year old Lagos street hawker who was to give his kidney to Ekweremadu’s daughter IN London. When he was interviewed at the hospital in London, they asked him if he knew he was to donate his kidney to Sonia Ekweremadu.
He first told them that he had no money to donate. They explained to him that it was his kidney that he was to donate. He asked them what was kidney. Initially, the doctors thought it was a question of language, since David’s English was not good enough.
However, they eventually understood that David did not know which human organ was called kidney. In other words, he did not know what organ he was to give Sonia. That led the doctors to conclude that the procedure was not well-explained to David and that is the umber one requirement by law. According to the law, you must explain to the organ donor the procedure and all the health risks associated with the procedure.
It is only then that the donor is taken to have informedly consented. When the doctors found that David did not understand what he was about to get involved in, they declared him a mismatch.
The term ‘mismatch’ is a technical generic language to indicate that the proposed organ harvesting has not met all the requirements. Many in Nigeria have misunderstood the term ‘mismatch’ in this case to meant that David’s kidney was not suitable for Sonia. No! There was nothing wrong with David’s Kidney.
To donate an organ, the facts must match both the law and the science governing the procedure. While the kidney matched the scientific requirement, the facts did not match the legal requirement. So, it was declared a mismatch. To help you understand it better, the term “mismatch” means there is a discrepancy.
The doctors who interviewed David did not and could not have determined that a crime was committed. The doctors did not have sufficient information to reach such conclusion then.
They felt uncomfortable with the discrepancies in the information they had about the donor and his decisions and whether he had made up his mind. For instance, the doctors did not get involved in how David was brought to them or whether he was paid.
It was not their duty to deal with that. It was actually when Ekweremadu and Dr. Obinna attempted to return David to Nigeria that the problem started. David expected that he would be given a job in London as he was told before he left Nigeria.
They did not give him job and they did not send him to school. Instead of all he was promised, he was asked to prepare to return to Nigeria, David ran away from the house where he was kept. As hunger wired him, he reported himself to the police.
To win the immediate protection of the police, he lied about his age by telling them he was 15. It was when he was interviewed by the police that the information came out which established that a crime was committed. For instance, it was at the police station that they asked him if he was paid money and he said yes he was paid N270,000. When the police checked the WhatsApp chats between Ike Ekweremadu and Dr. Obeta they realized that Ekweremadu actually paid N4.5 million for Obeta to pay to David. But Obeta only paid David N270,000 and pocketed the rest.
In fact, Ekweremadu tried to keep himself away from certain details of the deal. That was why Ekweremadu never discussed money with David.
In fact, he did not deal directly with David. That was what made it possible for Obeta to cheat him. Ekweremadu believed that the 4.5 million went to David. But since he was not dealing with David directly, he never knew that Obeta pocked most of the money.
However, the law viewed Ekweremadu’s decision not to deal directly with David as a typical behavior of a big man who knew that he is getting involved in a crime. He would usually try to create some distance between him and the crime, yet he will be funding the crime from afar. Otherwise, how come you never wanted to meet the boy that is giving his kidney to your daughter and whom you called cousin to your daughter (which actually makes him your nephew)?
Rather than see the non-direct dealing as evidence of his innocence, it was seen as deliberate or willful ignorance aimed at evading legal responsibility.
One of the key factors that worked against Ekweremadu was that he lied. On three official documents he signed, he stated that David was Sonia’s cousin. But in all the WhatsApp chats he had with the doctor and his own brother over the matter, he referred to David as ‘that guy’.
Hence the question: You knew he was not Sonia’s cousin. While you signed that he was her cousin, when you wanted to say the truth, you referred to him as ‘that guy’, meaning you didn’t know him or even remember his name’. Ekweremadu admitted in court that he lied and apologized.
NOTE:
I decided to provide these details because I have read somewhere it was being said that David misled Senator Ike Ekweremadu and took advantage of him.
No; David is a real victim.
He did not manipulate them.
He was manipulated by Dr. Obinna Obeta, who was working for the Ekweremadus”.
Alhaji Mohammed Basse, a former chairman of the Kebbi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has died in bandits’ captivity.
Besse was abducted earlier in June.
This was disclosed on Tuesday in a post on X by Bakatsine, a journalist who reports on conflict and insecurity in Nigeria’s North-West region.
A video had emerged, showing the former APC chairman and his associate being humiliated by bandits in the Birnin Gwari forest.
Bakatsine wrote: “DEVASTATING UPDATE: Alhaji Muhammadu Mai Barga Besse, the immediate former APC Chairman of Koko/Besse LGA in Kebbi State, has now also been confirmed dead in captivity.
“This means both men seen in the videos released from the Birnin Gwari forest have lost their lives without ever reuniting with their families after their abduction.
“What began as disturbing footage of humiliation has ended in the worst possible tragedy. Two lives gone, two families shattered and more painful questions about the security crisis facing communities across northern Nigeria.
“May Almighty Allah forgive them, grant them Aljannatul Firdaus and comfort their loved ones.”
Nigeria has been listed among countries through which terrorism funding is channeled across international borders.
This comes as part of the names of individuals and entities connected to financing global terrorism, including ISIS financial networks. The release is furtherance of the Donald Trump Administration’s fight against global terrorism financing.
The designations announced on Monday affect three men and six businesses “who have enabled ISIS to move money across borders.” They operate in Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa.
Washington says by crippling the web, which spans from France and Syria to Türkiye and Nigeria, the U.S. is cutting off funds that enable ISIS to execute attacks, support its regional affiliates, and threaten civilians, including religious minorities.
The targets include a Nigerian whose money exchange firms served as conduits for ISIS financing, a French man who provided information on explosives to ISIS supporters, and a Syrian who used crypto to transfer funds on behalf of ISIS allies.
The American Government reaffirmed its strong partnership with Nigeria, which joined the U.S. in the May 16, 2026, operation that resulted in the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the number two official in ISIS.
The United States’ unrelenting pressure on ISIS, according to the State Department, continues to decentralize its operations and rely on financial intermediaries to connect its global network.
The statement reads, “We will continue to use every diplomatic and legal tool available to hold ISIS and its supporters accountable – wherever they operate and however they move money.”
The Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has published the details of companies and three nationals now regarded as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT).
The Nigerian among the list, is Muhammad Mukhtar Adamu, linked to ISIS-West Africa. Born 02 (alt 03) August 1990, Muhammad’s home address shows he resides in the Agege area of Lagos State.
The Syrian is Abdelhakim Boukich a.k.a. Babili Muhammad.
The French is Abderrahmane Miloud a.k.a. Ghazi Ibrahim, DOB August 1992. Both are linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The three companies linked to Muhammad, based in Nigeria, include General Currency Bureau De Change Limited, located in Lagos. It was established on January 9, 2019, with Registration Number RC 1555604.
Others: Manhattan Bureau De Change, Murtala Mohammad Way, Kano, est. 26 January 2021, Reg. No. RC 1763824; Nine To Nine Exchange Bureau De Change, FAAN Complex, Airport Road, Lagos, est. 22 August 2017, Reg. No. RC 1462752.
……The former CAN president urged President Tinubu not to seek reelection
By Bonaventure Phillips Melah
The founder and General Overseer of Word of Life Bible Church, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has mocked those who described former president Goodluck Jonathan as clueless, saying they have failed to solve Nigeria’s problems since they took over government.
Oritsejafor, a former president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday while responding to criticisms that trailed Jonathan’s administration, particularly allegations that insecurity and corruption thrived under his leadership.
“Where are those people now? Are they not the same people today who are in power?” Oritsejafor asked.
“People who called him clueless, but they wouldn’t allow him to do the things he needed to do. They protested against him all over the place in Lagos especially, and across the country.”
According to the cleric, many of those who sponsored and supported the protests against Jonathan are now occupying key positions in government.
“Now, the people who sponsored all those protests, who did a lot of all those things, many of them are the people in power today. So, now they have the clue, but look at where Nigeria is now,” he said.
Asked whether he regretted supporting Jonathan during the 2015 presidential election, Oritsejafor replied, “No, I don’t.”
The cleric also weighed in on the performance of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, expressing concern over the state of the country and advising the president against seeking a second term in office.
He said the current administration had worsened Nigeria’s challenges and questioned the government’s ability to reverse the country’s declining fortunes.
“The government of Tinubu has done more harm to this nation than this nation has ever experienced,” he said.
While declining to directly support calls for Tinubu’s resignation, Oritsejafor urged the president to honestly assess his capacity to address the country’s problems.
“I would not sit here categorically and tell him resign. But I think what I would say to him is, look, don’t pretend to know what to do when you don’t know what to do. Don’t pretend that you can take Nigeria out of where it is now, when you know you can’t,” he stated.
The cleric further criticised the administration’s “Renewed Hope” slogan, arguing that many Nigerians have lost confidence due to economic hardship and insecurity.
“The average Nigerian today has no hope, except if you say you look up to God to give you hope,” he said.
Oritsejafor concluded by urging Tinubu not to pursue another term, saying, “Don’t begin to dream of coming back to continue this same mess.”
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