Ike Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President; Beatrice, his wife; and their doctor have been found guilty of organ trafficking in the UK.

The decision was reached after a jury deliberated for 14 hours.

It represents the first verdict of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act of the country.

Ekweremadu, 60; his wife, Beatrice, 56; and Dr Obinna Obeta, 51, were found guilty of facilitating the travel of a young man to Britain to exploit him after a six-week trial at the Old Bailey.

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Prosecutors told the Old Bailey that the kidney was to be harvested for Sonia, the couple’s daughter. Sonia was cleared of the same charge.The victim, a street trader from Lagos, was brought to the UK last year to provide a kidney in an £80,000 private transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in London. Obeta was regarded as the middleman in the case. FIJ

An Ikeja Sexual offences and Domestic Violence Court on Thursday sentenced a 51-year-old utility officer, Ubregbo Parmer, to life imprisonment for defiling his colleague’s nine-year-old daughter.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Abiola Soladoye held that the prosecution had sufficiently proven the charge of defilement against the convict.

Soladoye said that the overwhelming narrative of the prosecution witnesses, (survivor and medical doctor) showed that the convict committed the offence.

”The evidence of the respective prosecution witnesses established the ingredients of the offence against the defendant who was properly identified by the survivor.

“The survivor gave vivid and gory account of her ordeal in the hands of the defendant.

“I hereby find him guilty as charged of the one-count charge of defilement and he is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment.

“The defendant should have his name registered in the sexual offence register as maintained by Lagos State,” the judge held.

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The judge further berated the survivor’s mother for being negligent in her care and allowed her child to be taken away by her male colleague, without supervision.

“The need for proper and good parentage can not be undermined at this age  and time where  defilement and rape is the order of the day.

“Parents should be alive to their responsibilities,” Soladoye said.

NAN reports that the state counsel, Mrs Olufunke Adegoke presented two witnesses and two exhibits during trial while the defendant testified as the sole witness in the case.

Adegoke submitted that the survivor’s mother brought her daughter to the office and left her to attend to other things when the convict quickly removed her pant and had sexual intercourse with her.

She said the convict committed the  offence on Dec.10, 2019 in Magodo, Lagos.

According to her, the offence contravenes the provisions of Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

The alleged gruesome murder of late Master Destiny Sunday by some soldiers whose identities are yet to be known is a pointer to the callous attitude of some criminals who have infiltrated Nigerian Army
and other security agencies. The Rights and Freedom Advocates (RIFA) received the sad news of details on the circumstances culminating in the death of late Mr Destiny Sunday. The report had it that on Tuesday March 14, 2023 some soldiers besieged where late Mr Sunday Destiny was working on the invitation of the management of the place over a missing tool allegedly taken by the deceased. The deceased was allegedly murdered by the yet to be identified soldiers who were said to have been invited by Ibeachu Ejike; the Manager of Club 183 Sports and lounge, Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos over alleged missing property at the Lounge where the deceased was a worker until the fateful day.

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Our investigation revealed that late Mr Destiny graduated from Eric Moore High School, Surulere, Lagos in 2011 after which the struggle
for survival led him to where he was callously eliminated by criminally-minded people. The short video of how he was being tied and beaten streamed live by a colleague at the work place eventually led the recorder to taste another round of hell leading to the phone being used for recording damaged beyond repair apart from bruise and injuries suffered in his body. The short video was the extent of what was broadcast live before the recorder was discovered and immediately brutalized by same murderous elements. The second video showed how the recorder also tasted death partially. These brutal attacks on the duo of late Destiny and his colleague at work by the management of Club 183 Sports and lounge, Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos is not only against the Anti-Torture Act, 2017 but also inhumane, barbaric, condemnable and heinous. Therefore, the culprits must be identified, prosecuted and not be allowed to be swept under the carpet.

The effort of Police in Lagos State is commendable so far but the Police hierarchy needs to take over the case due to repugnant news coming from Panti that the owner of the bar where Destiny was killed has been influencing the Police to release him and his manager at any cost he was ready to pay. On this, RIFA call on good citizens to rise in defence of the deceased so that the victim of human cruelty won’t die in vain. Regardless of what the deceased offence might have been, jungle justice remains criminal act and so the perpetrators must be treated as criminals for taking a soul unjustly and brutalizing another with impunity. Besides, reports had it that the deceased’s family members are also being threatened to forget the case ditto to his colleague who briefly recorded the horrendous act.

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It should be noted that Anti-Torture Act, 2017 provides in Section 1 that “The Government shall- (a) ensure that rights of all persons;
including suspects, detainees, and prisoners are respected at all times and that no person placed under investigation or held in custody of any person in authority shall be subjected to physical harm, force, violence, threat or intimidation or any act that impair his free will”. Similarly, section 3 of the Acts provides— (1) No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war.Internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification for torture…” Therefore, there is no justification whatsoever for the horrific killing of Destiny by wicked people. On this, the good Nigerians and authorities should expedite actions at identifying the immediate and remote killers of Destiny, prosecute the alleged murderers of the deceased so that his parents won’t lose on two sides; missing a son and getting no justice.
Similarly, adequate security should be provided to the families of the deceased and those supporting the cause for justice. RIFA hereby call on the Lagos State Government, the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Army to take necessary steps to ensure justice is served in this case by identifying the killers and prosecute them accordingly. Also, should anything happen to those demanding justice for Destiny, the management of Club 183 Sports and lounge and the yet to be identified soldiers should be held responsible.

Luqman Soliu
President,
Rights and Freedom Advocates (RIFA)