* To be arraigned in court
The London Metropolitan Police have reportedly arrested Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice in the United Kingdom (UK) and remanded in custody.
The couple was said to have been arrested for alleged offence related to organ trafficking.
According to a statement by Metropolitan Police, they will appear at Uxbridge Magistrate Court later on Thursday.
Ekweremadu and Beatrice were charged with conspiring to arrange the travel of a child into the UK in order to harvest organs.
The statement reads: “A woman and a man were charged today with conspiring to arrange the travel of a child into the UK in order to harvest organs.
“The charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime team.
“[A] Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55 (10.9.66) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
“[B] Ike Ekweremadu, 60 (12.05.62) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
“They have both been remanded in custody and will appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court later today. “The investigation was launched after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022.
“A child has been safeguarded and we are working closely with partners on continued support.
“As criminal proceedings are now under way we will not be providing further details”.
Until the current mess he has found himself, back in Nigeria Ekweremadu was still battling to wriggle out of a scathing political controversy.
The former Deputy Senate President recently courted controversy when he declared, in a viral video, that the South-East region will not vote for the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, in 2023.
According to the Enugu State top politician, the South East cannot take the risk of voting for Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election.
Rather he said the South east region will vote for the presidential candidate of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and support the party, arguing that its vice-presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, is Igbo.
Although his comments drew widespread reactions, several youths especially on social media believe that Obi is a Third Force to end the dominance of APC and PDP in 2023.
Ekweremadu said: “I assure you that South east will vote for the People Democratic Party (PDP). I can guarantee that. No doubt, Peter Obi is our son, but you need to be dynamic.
“You need to ask yourself, can Peter win the presidential election? Can the East afford to throw away their votes? Can we afford to be sentimental in matters that concern our people, our children, and our future? No”
“We do not intend to do a thing which we will regret in future. So, while we believe that Peter is ably qualified, we believe that the future of our people lies with PDP. So, we need to make that decision as the leaders. I am going to sit with our people and explain to them.”
“Okowa, of course, is one of us, so there is no difference between Okowa and Peter in terms of protecting the interest of the South. So, we will go and give the people of the South East that opportunity.”
