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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
Reps move to reform military laws
Abbas urged stakeholders, including serving and retired military officers, civil society organisations, gender advocates, legal practitioners and members of the public, to actively participate in the legislative process.
The House of Representatives has commenced move to reform military laws.
Speaking at a two-day public hearing organised by the House Committee on Defence in Abuja on Monday, Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, said that the proposed legislations were designed to address the country’s evolving security challenges and build a more resilient and effective military institution.
He said that the bills were in line with the legislative agenda of the 10th House of Representatives and reflected lawmakers’ commitment to reforming the nation’s defence sector.
He added that emerging threats such as maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, cyber warfare and the growing nexus between organised crime and terrorism had further underscored the need for comprehensive reforms.
The Speaker said among the key bills under consideration are the Armed Forces Farms and Ranches Scheme Bill, which seeks to link food security initiatives with military operations, particularly in conflict-prone agricultural communities.
Others include the Gender Representation in the Armed Forces Bill, aimed at promoting inclusiveness in military recruitment and service; the Nigerian Military Force Bill, which seeks to repeal and replace the Armed Forces Act to align military administration with contemporary realities; and the Veterans’ Federation of Nigeria Bill, intended to improve the welfare of retired military personnel.
Abbas urged stakeholders, including serving and retired military officers, civil society organisations, gender advocates, legal practitioners and members of the public, to actively participate in the legislative process.
Earlier, Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Hon. Babajimi Benson, described the hearing as a critical platform for citizens and stakeholders to contribute to shaping laws that would strengthen Nigeria’s defence and security framework.
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FG to launch digital address system to boost national security
Tijani disclosed this at the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System Workshop in Abuja, yesterday.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has said that a nationwide digital postcode system will be launched by the Federal Government in October, with several states expected to be covered before the end of the year.
Tijani disclosed this at the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System Workshop in Abuja, yesterday.
He explained that the initiative would assign a unique digital address to every building in Nigeria, including those in rural communities, enabling security agencies, businesses and public institutions to accurately identify and locate people and properties.
The minister said the project is a critical national infrastructure designed to address Nigeria’s long-standing challenge of lacking a reliable and standardised addressing system.
He noted that the absence of accurate addresses has hampered crime investigations, emergency response services and identity verification processes, while creating opportunities for fraud.
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FG to roll out 10,000 electric tricycles in August –Shettima
The President has approved the replication of the initiative in other parts of the country by the various regional development commissions.
• A visit by Transporters For Tinubu/Shettima 2027 at the State House
Vice President Kashim Shettima said has that the Federal Government would roll out 10,000 electric tricycles in August 2026 as part of a broader plan to ease public transportation and strengthen Nigeria’s logistics chain.
Shettima disclosed this during a visit by Transporters For Tinubu/Shettima 2027 at the State House, saying the tricycles would be distributed by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) for use across the North East and beyond.
He added that President Bola Tinubu had approved replicating the initiative through other regional development commissions nationwide.
The President has approved the replication of the initiative in other parts of the country by the various regional development commissions.
“This administration is determined to build a transport economy that lowers the cost of movement, reduces delays at ports, connects farms to markets, strengthens national productivity and gives transporters a more dignified place in the country’s development process,” he said.
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