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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

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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.

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President Tinubu congratulates Governor Okpebholo on Supreme Court Victory

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Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State on the affirmation of his election by the Supreme Court.

The Edo State governorship election took place in September 2024, and Governor Okpebholo was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Supreme Court, as the final arbiter, upheld the election of the governor today.

According to the press statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), President Tinubu encourages Governor Okpebholo to be magnanimous in victory and rally the citizens of Edo across divides towards a singular vision of advancing the state’s development.

The President advises that now that the governor has cleared the legal hurdles, it is time for him to accelerate the delivery of exceptional services and good governance to the people of Edo State, which he has already begun to do.

President Tinubu also congratulates the leadership and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State and calls for cohesion and dedication in effectively discharging the mandate given by the people.

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Senate Launches Investigation Into Ponzi Schemes

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The Senate has mandated a joint committee to investigate the alarming rise of Ponzi schemes across the country, following the collapse of the Crypto Bullion Exchange (CBEX), which has reportedly defrauded investors of over ₦1.3 trillion.

The decision followed a motion sponsored by Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (Lagos East).

In a motion, the lawmaker expressed deep concern over the unchecked spread of fraudulent investment schemes, including the infamous MMM Nigeria (2016), MBA Forex (2020), and most recently CBEX, which lured millions of Nigerians with promises of high returns on digital assets.

Lawmakers in a debate warned that CBEX’s collapse had devastating financial and psychological consequences, pushing victims into depression, family breakdowns, and in some tragic cases, suicide.

The Senate expressed shock that CBEX operated unchecked for months despite its large-scale activities and online visibility, with no timely intervention from regulatory agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The joint committee is expected to hold a public hearing in the coming weeks and submit its findings within one month.

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BREAKING: Supreme Court Confirms Okphebholo as Edo State Governor

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Monday Okpebholo, the governor of Edo State has been confirmed by the Supreme Court as the rightful winner of the September 21, 2024 governorship election. 

‎This is the decision of a 5-member panel of the Apex Court after dismissing the appeal by Asue Igholdalo of the People’s Democratic Party who claims to have won the election.

‎In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Lawal Garba, the Court held that the appellants failed to prove their case of over-voting, non-compliance with the Electoral Act, among other infractions which they cited as grounds to fault the electoral victory of Okpebholo.

‎In a unanimous judgment, the Apex Court said the appellants failed to prove that the election was in non-compliance with the Electoral Act and that Ighodalo was not duly elected by the majority of lawful votes cast.

‎Specifically, the Apex Court held that the PDP candidate failed to prove non-compliance as he merely challenged the outcome of the election in 395 of the 4,519 polling units where elections were held.

‎The Apex Court panel also said the 19 witnesses called at the Tribunal stage did not help the case of the PDP in challenging the outcome of the election.

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