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Organ Trafficking: Ekweremadu bags 10 years in UK prison
The 21-year-old Lagos street trader was falsely presented as Ekweremadu’s daughter’s cousin in an attempt to persuade doctors to carry out an £80,000 private kidney transplant
Former Deputy Senate President of Nigeria, Ike Ekweremadu, has been sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison by a United Kingdom court for his role in an organ trafficking plot. His wife, Beatrice, was also sentenced to four years and six months, while Dr Obinna Obeta, the medical doctor who acted as a “middleman,” received a 10-year sentence and had his medical license suspended.
According to reports, a 21-year-old Lagos street trader was falsely presented as Ekweremadu’s daughter’s cousin in an attempt to persuade doctors to carry out an £80,000 private kidney transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in London. The young man was offered an illegal reward to become a donor for Ekweremadu’s daughter after kidney disease forced her to drop out of a master’s degree program at Newcastle University.
The prosecutor, Hugh Davies KC, described Ekweremadu’s behavior as showing “entitlement, dishonesty, and hypocrisy,” and accused him and Obeta of treating the man and other potential donors as “disposable assets – spare parts for reward.” Their conviction was the first verdict of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act.
Davies argued that Ekweremadu’s actions were not simply expedient in his daughter’s clinical interests but were exploitative and criminal. “Her clinical needs cannot come at the expense of the exploitation of somebody in poverty,” he said.
News
Tinubu designates Rabiu Umar new CEO of NMDPRA
Umar is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience across the energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure sectors, and a proven track record in strategic leadership, operational transformation, and large-scale project delivery..
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the removal of Mr Saidu Mohammed as the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
In a State House statement issued on Wednesday signed by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President also approved the nomination of Rabiu Abdullahi Umar as the new Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, with the appointment subject to Senate confirmation.
The decision, according to the statement, was made pursuant to the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 and is aimed at strengthening regulatory effectiveness in the midstream and downstream petroleum sector in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Umar is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience across the energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure sectors, and a proven track record in strategic leadership, operational transformation, and large-scale project delivery.
He is a graduate of Accounting from Bayero University and an alumnus of Harvard Business School.
News
Tinubu moves Bianca Ojukwu to foreign minister
Odumegwu-Ojukwu replaces Yusuf Tuggar who recently resigned to pursue the Bauchi governorship election in 2027.
•Odumegwu-Ojukwu
President Bola Tinubu has named Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu replaces Yusuf Tuggar who recently resigned to pursue the Bauchi governorship election in 2027.
Sola Enikanolaiye has been appointed as the new minister of state in the foreign ministry.
News
FG declares May 1 public holiday to mark Workers’ Day
The minister emphasised that the dedication of Nigerian workers remains vital to the country’s growth and economic progress, urging them to sustain values of patriotism, productivity and diligence.
Friday, May 1, has been declared a public holiday to commemorate this year’s International Workers’ Day.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the announcement on behalf of the federal government in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Magdalene Ajani
The minister congratulates workers nationwide, commending their commitments and contributions to national development.
The minister emphasised that the dedication of Nigerian workers remains vital to the country’s growth and economic progress, urging them to sustain values of patriotism, productivity and diligence.
Tunji-Ojo also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving workers’ welfare, enhancing security and creating an enabling environment for economic expansion.
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