UK Court Grants Beatrice Ekweremadu Bail, Senator Still in Custody
The wife of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Beatrice Ekweremadu, was granted bail by a London court on Monday.
Mrs Beatrice was arrested alongside her husband Senator Ike Ekweremadu in June by the Metropolitan police on allegations of trafficking a 21-year-old for the purpose of organ harvesting.
The couple was accused of plotting to traffic 21-year-old David Ukpo from Nigeria to the United Kingdom to transplant his organs to their daughter who is suffering from kidney failure.
While senator Ike was charged with conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting, Beatrice was charged with arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, between August 1 last year and May 5, under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Judge Richard Marks said: ‘The position is that I have granted bail to Beatrice subject to some fairly stringent conditions but I have refused bail to Ike.’
Senator Ike was denied bail and had remained in custody since July 7. The couple will again appear at the Old Bailey court on August 4.
Obinna Obeta, a 50-year-old doctor from Southwark, South London had been accused of plotting with Senator Ekwerenmadu to traffic the boy allegedly for organ harvesting.
On July 1, Justice Inyang Ekwo ordered the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and others to release the Certified True Copy (CTC) of David Ukpo’s biodata to former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice.
The Nigerian government engaged the services of lawyers to defend the senator and his wife.
On July 1, the delegation from Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs departed Nigeria to London to visit the couple in detention.
