Former Deputy President of the Nigerian senate in the 7th and 8th Senate, Dr Ike Ekweremadu, and Beatrice, his wife, have been arrested in London.
According to the Metropolitan Police, they were arrested and charged with bringing a child to the UK for organ harvesting.
The child, whose identity was not disclosed, is reportedly with the Metropolitan Police, while the Nigerian lawmaker and his wife are currently in custody pending a few hours when they would be arraigned at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court.
In a statement, Metropolitan Police said: “A woman and a man were charged today with conspiring to arrange the travel of a child into the UK in order to harvest organs.
“The charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime team.
“[A] Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55 (10.9.66) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
“[B] Ike Ekweremadu, 60 (12.05.62) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
“They have both been remanded in custody and will appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court later today.
“The investigation was launched after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022. A child has been safeguarded and we are working closely with partners on continued support. As criminal proceedings are now under way we will not be providing further details.”
The suspect shares the same name with former Deputy Senate President. It’s unclear if he is the one or they are related.