UK rejects Nigerian request to deport former politican jailed for organ trafficking

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UK Refuses to Deport Former Nigerian Politician Convicted of Organ Trafficking

The UK government has turned down a request by Nigeria to extradite Ike Ekweremadu, a former deputy president of the Nigerian senate and ally of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, who is serving a nine-year-and-eight-month sentence for conspiring to exploit a man for his kidney.

Ekweremadu, 63, was found guilty in 2023 along with his wife Beatrice and co-conspirator Dr Obinna Obeta of trafficking a young man to London with the intention of harvesting his kidney. The kidneys were planned to be transplanted into Ekweremadu's daughter Sonia in a private unit of an NHS hospital.

Nigeria has been seeking Ekweremadu's extradition, but the UK government has rejected the request citing concerns that there are no guarantees he would serve out his sentence in Nigeria if deported.

A source at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) confirmed that the UK will not tolerate modern slavery and any offender will face the full force of UK law. The decision comes amid criticism from Ekweremadu's home country, with many questioning why Abuja has not intervened to secure his release.

Ekweremadu's case has raised concerns about vulnerability and complacency in the UK health system towards organ trafficking. His trial exposed weaknesses in the system that allowed him to carry out the heinous crime.

In February 2022, Ekweremadu trafficked a young man to London with a false claim that the victim was his cousin and had agreed to a £80,000 kidney transplant. The plot was almost successful before it was foiled by hospital staff who rejected the transplant attempt. However, despite this, no action was taken against Obeta until he received a kidney transplant from another trafficked man in July 2021.

Ekweremadu's sentence represents "a very substantial fall from grace," according to Judge Jeremy Johnson, who described Ekweremadu as the driving force behind the organ-trafficking plot.
 
ugh, what a joke... like the UK is just making excuses for this guy now... extraditing him and he'd just be another poor soul stuck in some Nigerian prison? no thanks... it's all about politics here... Nigeria's got more to do with this than the UK ever will admit... Ekweremadu's sentence might be substantial, but what about the victim? that young man who almost lost his kidney? his life is still a mess... and now the UK is just letting him slide because of some diplomatic spat? come on...
 
ugh this is so messed up 🤯 a former politician gets away with human trafficking and now he's just chillin in the UK while Nigeria can't touch him? it's like, what even is happening over there? 😒 and on top of that, these humans were literally being trafficked to get their kidneys transplanted into this guy's daughter... I mean, it's bad enough when we hear about organ trafficking, but to think about the emotional toll it must have had on the victims and their families... argh 🤕
 
I'm not surprised by this decision 🤔, but it's still a bit concerning that Nigeria can't guarantee Ekweremadu will serve out his sentence in their country if he's deported. I mean, that's just common sense 🙄. The fact that the UK is refusing to extradite him because of concerns about modern slavery is understandable, though. We've seen how some countries handle trafficked individuals, and it's not always pretty 😷.

On the other hand, I do think this case highlights some serious weaknesses in the UK's health system 🏥. The fact that Ekweremadu was able to carry out such a heinous crime without being caught for so long is just shocking 😲. And now he's getting off with a relatively light sentence compared to what he deserved? It's not right 👎.

I guess we can only hope that this will lead to some changes in the way organ trafficking is handled in the UK 🤞. It's clear that there are still a lot of vulnerabilities and complacencies in the system, and it needs to be addressed ASAP 🔒.
 
can't believe this is happening 🤯 like what kind of loophole lets a politician off scot free when it comes to something this heinous? and meanwhile nigeria is just sitting on its hands, all because they're worried about him serving his sentence in the uk? sounds like a whole lot of hand-wringing to me 🙄

i mean, i get it, extradition laws are complex and all that, but at the end of the day, this guy's got a serious conviction for modern slavery and organ trafficking. shouldn't that count for something? 🤷‍♀️
 
🤔 This is wild, right? I mean, you'd think someone who's basically a modern-day kingpin of organ trafficking would be extradited ASAP. But nope, the UK is all like "sorry, Ike, you're good to go here". It's like they're saying that they can't trust Nigeria to keep him locked up for 9 years and 8 months. And I get it, that's a big concern... but at the same time, it's just so frustrating that Ekweremadu got away with this heinous crime in the first place. Like, what even happened in the UK system? How did someone like him manage to traffic an entire kidney just sitting around for years waiting to be transplanted into some rich family member? It's just mind-boggling... 😱
 
😕 this is wild, i cant believe he was found guilty and now hes not gonna be deported back to nigeria...i mean the uk has a right to say no but nine years plus 8 months is a pretty long sentence for some people 😒 how did it even come to this? organ trafficking is like something out of a movie 🤯 and its crazy that he was able to get away with it for so long without anyone stopping him...i guess the fact that his daughter was supposed to be getting one of the kidneys makes it even more messed up 🤢
 
Ugh, this is so messed up 🤕! I mean, come on UK, you can't just let a guy like Ike Ekweremadu get away with human trafficking and organ harvesting 😱. It's not just about him, it's about the countless people he's exploited and potentially harmed. And now Nigeria is asking for his extradition, but you're all like "nope, we won't do it"? 🤔 That's just ridiculous.

And what really gets me is that this happened in an NHS hospital no less! 😲 A private unit was supposed to be where Ekweremadu would get a transplant, not the victim who got trafficked there. It's like you guys are more concerned with following procedure than actually doing what's right. 🙄

I don't get why Nigeria is making such a big deal about this when they could just try to hold him accountable themselves. 🤷‍♀️ It feels like they're letting him off the hook because he's someone who's connected to their government or something? 🤔 That's not right.

Anyway, Ekweremadu's sentence may have been "substantial", but it's still not enough for me. I think we should be doing a lot more to prevent organ trafficking and make sure people like him are held accountable. 💪
 
🤔 you know what's crazy about organs trafficking? have you ever heard of 'organ sharing' programs? like they're a thing now where people can just sell or donate their organs to others in need. it sounds so cool but what if it's not entirely voluntary? like, imagine someone is literally coerced into donating their kidney... 😳 that's kinda what went down with ekweremadu and i'm still trying to wrap my head around how these people even got away with this for so long. 🤯 anyway, back to organ sharing programs... do you think it's a good idea or a recipe for disaster? 🤔
 
This decision is kinda weird I think 🤔. On one hand, it's good that they're not gonna send him back to Nigeria without guarantee he'll get his sentence served out there. But on the other hand, you'd think that would be the priority since he's a fugitive with some serious human rights issues 😐. The fact that no action was taken against Obeta until he got another victim's kidney is just messed up 🤯. I mean, what's to stop this from happening again? It's like they're letting these people get away with it while they're serving their sentences in the UK 🙄. And what about Sonia Ekweremadu and other victims of organ trafficking? Are they gonna get justice too? The system is supposed to protect people, not enable human traffickers 💔.
 
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