NEWS
The Ekweremadus Health, Human Trafficking, Organ Harvesting Travails
By Kenneth Eze
The world was jolted last Thursday when news broke out that Nigeria’s former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu’s alleged involvement in human trafficking and organ harvesting in the United Kingdom (UK).
Coming on the heels of overwhelming hardship being experienced by the masses in Nigeria, it is relatable that the Nigerian public chose to celebrate the matter, instead of empathising with a spouse looking to save the life of a child a daughter battling with a terminal illness.
Sadly, the issue of ill-governance and consequently hardship it has brought upon the populace seem to have eroded humanity to the point where people seem to be praying for the rich to also cry.
I wonder if this should be. And why?
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While we are entitled to the legitimate right to wrestle our collective destiny at the national level from unscrupulous politicians, we owe ourselves the duty to do so rationally.
It can be said that the public’s spontaneous reaction can be seen as a lesson for politicians and public servants, but the more salient issues are: Without controversy, every responsible parent would do everything legal within his/her to save his/her child who is similarly threatened like Sonia Ekweremadu. The next is that no one has a moral right to seek to profit from the misfortune of another, particularly illness. The third is that the parties to this (the Ekweremadus and the proposed donor, Ukpo Nwamini David) are adults and can enter into a binding contract.
My candid take is that the public ought to weigh the issues properly before jumping into the conversation. Suffice it to state that at moment there’s scanty information, as there’s little or no access to the parties to the matter. This has made real informed commentary tough naught at this time.
However, a sensitive aspect of the discourse is the proposed donor’s age. While the Metropolitan Police said the boy is 15, his traveling documents indicate that he is 21. What nobody can take away is that his picture and social media footprints tell a story of someone well above the 15 being brandied.
Another aspect that no one can mask is that his traveling was processed formally on medical grounds, for which he had privileged information. The coming days will reveal why this dangerous twist came into the story.
Another aspect that lends itself to plausibility is the fact that any young unemployed person would almost stop at nothing to secure an exit from the open prison, called Nigeria. Probably, this is the card this young man is playing. It would be sickening if this should be the case, that an individual would go to the extent of throwing another of high public standing under the bus, just to secure papers to stay in a foreign country.
This ought to be of concern to members of the public.
While each person is at liberty to seek to live or work wherever he or she wishes, that should not be at the detriment of others, particularly, someone with a terminal illness.
It’s painful enough to have a child with a terminal disease. And for another to seek to profit from it, endangering the sick child and her parents in the process. That’s hard to imagine!
Where’s humanity and compassion? And for others to condemn a genuine effort of parents to save the life of their daughter. I think we all need to think again.
Unfortunately for the Ekweremadus, the extant laws in the UK favor the minor. It is not clear if there’s a legal provision that can unravel this young man’s real age. Because until that is done, though, evidence of Ukpo submitting himself to the procurement of travelling documents, and indeed, undertaking the journey without alerting the law, in addition to willingly being ‘spoilt’ by the Ekweremadus, indicate that he consented, they amount to nothing.
Extant laws in the UK are in place to protect the weak or disadvantaged, which weighs against the Ekweremadus, albeit momentarily.
While these are ongoing, it is time to become sober and ponder on; ‘To what extend should parents go to try to save the life of a child diagnosed with a terminal illness?’
I am actually worried at the sudden turn of events because this is Nigeria, a country where people of all tribes and religions donate to save the lives of others just at the prompting of trusted media channels or other individuals.
What could have gone wrong? This is beyond religious or political sentiments.
Ukpo might be making all manner of claims before the UK authorities, but it must be borne in mind that the request upon which his UK visa was granted was founded on medical. Now, that he is claiming ignorance of what took him to the UK, can he adduce evidence of his medical condition and why the onus fell on the Ekweremadus to take him to the UK for treatment?
Unless Ukpo comes clean on this, his claims might appeal to the UK authorities and their legal system, but however this ends, he would have to live with the burden of undoing a benefactor all the days of his life.
The 15th edition of the Practical Nigerian Content Forum (PNCF) is billed for Yenagoa, Bayelsa State from November 30.
This edition of the initiative of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) would hold be in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Government as disclosed on Tuesday when a delegation of the NCDMB and DMG Events met with the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Dr Peter Pereotubo Akpe, at the Government House, Yenagoa.
Leading the delegation, the General Manager, Corporate Communications Division of NCDMB, Dr Obinna Ezeobi, conveyed the appreciation of the Executive Secretary of the board, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, to the state government for its continued support for the forum.
He said, “We appreciate the Bayelsa State Government for its continued partnership and support for the PNC Forum”.
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According to him, the Youth PNC was designed to expose young people in the Niger Delta to emerging opportunities in the oil and gas industry and the competencies required to build successful careers in other sectors of the economy.
Ezeobi added, “We have introduced new initiatives into this year’s programme to ensure that the PNC continues to deliver greater value to participants and address emerging issues in the Nigerian content space.”
The Senior Manager, Zonal Coordination, NCDMB, Mr Adebayo Joseph, spoke on plans for the Youth PNC, while the leader of the DMG Events delegation, Ms Olamide Oloko, outlined the major activities planned for the conference.
Oloko said the new initiatives would include a Local Content Roundtable and a two-day programme for Local Community Contractors aimed at helping them scale up their operations.
She added, “The 2026 edition will also feature a breakout session to collate stakeholders’ views on the future direction of Nigerian Content over the next decade.”
Responding, Akpe assured the NCDMB and DMG Events of the state government’s continued support for the PNC Forum.
Akpe said, “The Bayelsa State Government is committed to ensuring that the event is successful and that participants have a conducive and secure environment throughout their stay in the state.”
He said the initiative demonstrated the practical impact of the programme and urged the board to sustain efforts aimed at creating opportunities for young people in the region.
Nigerian women allegedly being held at a deportation facility in India have cried out over their treatment, with a video circulating online showing some of them displaying injuries and alleging that security personnel flogged detainees.
The video began circulating online on Wednesday and shows a group of Nigerian women inside and around what they described as a deportation camp.
Several of the women pointed to marks, bruises and apparent injuries on their legs, feet and bodies while alleging that they were beaten with sticks or canes.
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“See my video, see my leg,” one of the women could be heard saying in the footage.
Another woman said, “Mona see wetin dem dey do for deportation camp.”
“Deportation camp, na dem flog person, see,” another woman said while showing what appeared to be an injury.
The women further alleged that female detainees were beaten with sticks.
“Dem dey use stick dey flog women, mona dey see am,” one of them said.
Another woman, while pointing at an injured detainee, said, “Dem carry cane flog o… see her body, dem flog am.”
The women also alleged that police officers carried sticks inside the facility.
“Police carry stick like say dem dey cut firewood,” one of the women said.
The footage shows the women appearing distressed as they moved through the facility and gathered in an outdoor area.
They repeatedly appealed to Nigerians to share the video and draw attention to their situation.
“Make una see… make this video trend/go,” one woman said.
“Make una share am,” another added.
One of the women also expressed frustration over their alleged experience at the facility, saying, “We don suffer, every time, every time.”
The footage comes amid ongoing concerns over Nigerians detained at the Lampur detention centre, also known as Sewa Sadan, in New Delhi.
Recall that in September, reports emerged that more than 200 Nigerians were being held at the facility, with some detainees alleging poor food, inadequate medical care and prolonged detention.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) subsequently defended its handling of the situation and said the Nigerian High Commission in India was seeking another amnesty period to facilitate the departure of Nigerians without proper immigration documentation.
No official response from the Indian authorities or the Nigerian government specifically addressing the allegations in the latest video had been made available at the time of publication.
Rights activist, public affairs analyst and Chief Executive Officer of The Dialogue, Shehu Muhammad, has questioned the continued occurrence of military aircraft crashes despite the huge budgetary allocations to the country’s defence and security sector.
Muhammad spoke while reacting to the recent Nigerian Navy aircraft crash in Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
Describing the incident as “one incident too many,” he recalled that Nigeria had recorded several military aircraft crashes involving the Nigerian Air Force and Nigerian Army over the years.
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He said the recurring incidents had raised concerns among members of the public about the condition of military aircraft and the process through which military hardware is procured.
“People have begun to cast aspersions as to the honesty, sincerity, and openness in the purchase of military hardware, including airplanes,” Muhammad said.
According to him, the concerns are heightened by the substantial funds allocated to the military and other security agencies over the years.
“There are insinuations by the public that, after all, the military receive the highest amount of money from the budget year in, year out,” he said.
Muhammad also questioned the transparency of defence procurement, particularly the process of selecting contractors for the supply of military equipment.
He argued that the repeated crashes should prompt authorities to examine military aviation operations, aircraft procurement and the management of defence resources.
The latest crash occurred in Irele, Ondo State, with recovery efforts reportedly complicated by the difficult terrain around the crash site.
Muhammad said the latest incident should not be treated in isolation, but should lead to broader questions about military aviation safety and the management of resources allocated to the defence sector.
He called for greater transparency and accountability in the procurement and management of military hardware to restore public confidence.
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