A former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Tuesday, asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss the request by the alleged organ harvesting victim, David Nwamini, seeking to stop the release of his bio-data to British authorities. The court had, on 1 July, ordered the release of Mr Nwamini’s biometric information. The order was issued in a suit filed by Mr Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, who sought the information to defend themselves over the allegations of an illegal attempt to harvest Mr Nwamini’s kidney for their ailing daughter in London. But last month, Mr Nwamini filed an application asking the court to vacate the order for the release of his biometric information to Mr Ekweremadu. The London Metropolitan Police had apprehended Mr Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, based on an allegation that they lured Mr Nwanini to harvest his kidney in London. Prosecutors said the Ekweremadus were charged with trafficking a 15-year-old boy from Nigeria to the United Kingdom by deceiving him with a promise to give him a better life in the UK when the real mission was actually to harvest his organ. But the couple had denied the charge, insisting that Mr Nwanini was 21 years old. They had called for his official records with Nigerian banks and relevant government authorities to prove their claim. A judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, Inyang Ekwo, after considering their claims, ordered, in his ruling delivered on 1 July, the banks and government authorities to release Mr Nwanini’s biometric information to the Attorney-General of the Federation who would transmit the record to the London court where the Ekweremadus needed it. But challenging the court order in an application he filed in August, Mr Nwamini, urged the court to reverse the order. He contended that he was denied a fair hearing in the proceedings leading to the court order. He also said the court order violated his right to personal privacy.
Ekweremadu’s filings
Responding to Mr Nwaini’s application, the Ekweremadus urged the court to dismiss it.
In a counter-affidavit deposed to by Bright Ekweremadu, a younger brother of the incarcerated senator, Mr Ekweremadu denied asking for Nwamini’s bio-data. Rather, the deponent averred that what the Federal High Court ordered to be released to London Court was Mr Nwamini’s bank account opening package and the information supplied in his visa application. At any rate, Mr Ekweremadu revealed that based on the 1 July order of the court, the required documents have since been transmitted to two different courts in the United Kingdom. The deponent averred that it was too late in the day for Nwamini to seek the reversal of a valid order that had been executed to determine his authentic age. He urged the court to dismiss the suit for being “frivolous”, and lacking in merit having been overtaken by event.
Nwanini’s lawyer seeks adjournment
At Tuesday’s proceedings, Nwamini’s lawyer, Ojonugwa Oguche, prayed the court to adjourn the suit for him to react to Mr Ekweremadu’s filings. The request was granted and the matter was fixed for 20 September for hearing by Mr Ekwo. Mr Ekweremadu was represented by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Eyitayo Fatigun. Mr Ekweremadu and his wife were on 23 June arrested in the UK by London Met Police and charged with conspiracy to traffic a child to the United Kingdom in order to harvest organs.
While his wife has been granted bail, Mr Ekweremadu, whose bail application has been rejected, remains in custody in London.
