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Former Deputy Senate President of Nigeria, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice, have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in an organ trafficking plot. The United Kingdom court sentenced Ekweremadu to nine years and eight months, while Beatrice was sentenced to four years and six months. Additionally, the medical doctor who acted as a 'middleman' in the plot, Dr. Obinna Obeta, was sentenced to ten years, and his medical license was suspended.

According to The PUNCH, the trio conspired to bring a 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney, falsely presenting him as Sonia's cousin. The young man was offered an illegal reward to become a donor for Sonia after kidney disease forced her to drop out of a master's degree in film at Newcastle University. Their conviction was the first verdict of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act.

Hugh Davies KC, the prosecutor, told the court that Ekweremadu and Obeta treated the man and other potential donors as "disposable assets – spare parts for reward," entering into an "emotionally cold commercial transaction" with the man. Davies added that Ekweremadu's behavior showed "entitlement, dishonesty, and hypocrisy." Ekweremadu claimed he involved the young man after he was advised by his doctor against seeking a kidney donor from among his family members.

The verdict sends a strong message to those engaging in organ trafficking and highlights the seriousness of the crime. The exploitation of vulnerable individuals for profit is unacceptable and has severe consequences.