Crime
UK court refuses bail for Ekweremadu, wife over child trafficking, organ harvesting
Nigerian lawmaker Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice are to cool their heels in prison custody as a UK court has declined to grant them bail over a conspiracy to harvest the organs of a child.
Ekweremadu and Beatrice had appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
The couple were alkeged to have brought the homeless 15 year old boy to the U.K. from off the streets of Lagos, Nigeria.
The case which was adjourned to July 7th ensured Ekweremadu and his wife are remanded in prison.
Metropolitan police in a statement confirmed that the couple was charged with conspiring to arrange to bring a child to the UK to harvest organs in their home country, Nigeria.
They are both charged with conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
Police, however, said the child has been safeguarded but did not disclose the gender or the age of the child or the location of the arrests.
The report suggests that it is likely the suspects were arrested at Heathrow Airport since they are appearing in a court in Uxbridge.
A police investigation was launched after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022, the force said.