News & Announcements

 A UK court on Friday sentenced former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu to 10 years and 6 months in jail for plotting to harvest a man’s kidney for his sick daughter.

Meanwhile, Ekweremadu’s wife, Beatrice, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison, while Obinna Obeta, a medical practitioner, was sentenced to ten years for the same offense.

British journalist Chris Summers shared the news via his Twitter handle Friday afternoon.

Recall that Ekweremadu, Beatrice, and Obeta were convicted of conspiracy to arrange the travel of a young Nigerian man who was identified as David Nwamini to Britain to exploit him for his kidney.

The organ was needed for Ekweremadu’s sick daughter, Sonia.

Their trial lasted for six weeks and conviction at the Old Bailey, London’s Central Criminal Court, is expected today.

The Prosecutor, Hugh Davies told the jury that the behaviour of Ekweremadu showed “entitlement, dishonesty and hypocrisy”.
             

Over 500 unbanked women in Abuja’s Dutse/Bwari Area Council now have access to financial services thanks to the Strategic Outreach Support, a tax-exempt organization that worked with Zenith Bank, a leading financial institution.

According to a statement made available to our correspondent on Friday, the reach-out programme tagged, “Market Women Support Fund Initiative”, allows the provision of funding to market and local women traders to complement the ease of doing business.

“Over 500 women including food vendors, retail provision sellers, and farm produce traders became beneficiaries of the Market Women Support Fund – MWSF powered by the Strategic Outreach Support in partnership with Zenith Bank.

“The capital funding exercise which is ongoing and would cover every local government area of the federation, saw a very large turnout of women and women trade associations in Dutse/Bwari, started with an account registration exercise facilitated by zenith bank. Over 500 unbanked women had new accounts opened and credited with the sum of N10,000 naira – funding made available by Strategic Outreach Support,” part of the statement read.

The initiative would be distributed among Abuja’s five area councils before moving on to other regions of the nation, according to the announcement.

On May 19, 2023, a seminar titled “Influencing Global Policy Implementation for Sustainable Development” will be held to promote the creation of funding for market women to boost trade of small and medium-sized enterprises and to also cushion the adverse effect of the global economic challenges.

Ike Ekweremadu, Nigeria’s former deputy Senate president faces up to life in jail in Britain on Friday when he is sentenced for plotting to harvest a man’s kidney for his sick daughter.

Ike Ekweremadu, 60, was found guilty in March in the first case of its kind to be heard in the United Kingdom of plotting to bring the adolescent street vendor into Britain in exchange for a body part.Beatrice, Ekweremadu’s 56-year-old wife, was also found guilty, as was Obinna Obeta, a 50-year-old doctor who served as the scheme’s middleman. They will also receive a sentence on Friday.

After the jury deliberated for nearly 14 hours, Sonia, the 25-year-old daughter of the Ekweremadus, sobbed as she was acquitted of the same charge.

Donating a kidney is permitted in Britain, but not in exchange for money or other tangible goods.

It was the first time accusations of an organ harvesting conspiracy had been made under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act from that year.

The law allows for a life sentence as the maximum punishment.

A “landmark conviction,” according to Detective Inspector Esther Richardson of the Metropolitan Police’s Modern Slavery and Exploitation Command, who also hailed the victim for his “bravery” in coming forward.

The 21-year-old victim from Lagos, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said throughout the trial’s weeks-long proceedings that the Ekweremadus had flown him to Britain to have his kidney harvested.

According to reports, Sonia, who is still receiving dialysis treatment for a renal ailment, would receive the kidney in exchange for up to £7,000 ($8,800).

The individual claimed he was hired by a physician who worked for the politician and had mistakenly believed he was traveling to the UK to find employment.

According to testimony given in court, he didn’t realize it was for a kidney transplant until he was brought to London’s Royal Free Hospital last year.

After preliminary tests revealed he would not be a suitable donor, he fled and camped out on the streets for three days.

The court heard that he eventually entered a police station in May and declared that he was “looking for someone to save my life.”

Ike Ekweremadu told the jury that he thought he was being “scammed,” despite the four defendants’ attorneys’ insistence that he was acting “altruistically.”

Since 2003, Ekweremadu has served as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s representative for southeast Nigeria’s Enugu West seat.

This week, Nigerian parliamentary leaders pleaded for mercy before a London court, arguing that Ekweremadu was a first-time offender who had made significant contributions to West African politics.

Due to his detention before and during the trial, he did not run in the most recent elections for the National Assembly.

Prosecutors and the trial judge decided that he might attempt to leave the UK. His wife and daughter had been released on bail with conditions.

It was a “horrific plot,” said to Chief Crown Prosecutor Joanne Jakymec, who also charged the powerful defendants with having “utter disregard for the victim’s welfare, health, and wellbeing.”

Around 7,000 people are waiting for a kidney transplant from a suitable donor, and about 20 people in Britain are diagnosed with kidney failure every day, necessitating prolonged dialysis treatment.

According to Fiona Loud, policy director at the nonprofit Kidney Care UK, informed permission is “a crucial component of the organ donation program” and careful checks are conducted to ensure “no coercion.”

Voluntary donors engage in “an act of great generosity”, she said.

The military has once more advised against making plans to thwart the May 29 transfer of power to President-elect Bola Tinubu.

According to the high leadership, the armed forces are prepared and will ensure a seamless transition process when it happens in 24 days.

On Thursday, Major General Musa Danmadami, the director of defense media operations, issued the warning as Yakubu Gowon, a former military head of state, urged contestants contesting the results of the most recent election to accept the court’s ruling.

Danmadami’s warning comes one month after Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, the Director of Defence Information, promised that the military will oppose any attempt to curtail democracy in the nation.

Additionally, Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya, the Chief of Army Staff, had warned the Indigenous People of Biafra, the Eastern Security Network, and other outlaw organizations not to test the military’s resolve by threatening to retaliate harshly against any threats to national security.

A few disgruntled candidates had protested the president-elect’s scheduled inauguration and demanded the establishment of an interim national government, but Danmadami assured defense reporters at the Defense Headquarters in Abuja that the military would make sure the inauguration did not go as planned.

He declared, “I will reiterate that we are on standby to make sure that nothing unwanted happens; that the issue of threat to the security and stability of the country is addressed promptly. Elections have come and gone. For the presidential election, a winner has been announced.

“There is a transition committee in place comprising all members of the security agencies, ministries, and agencies of government to make sure the event is held successfully and without a glitch.

“We don’t see reasons why there should be a problem during the activity. The inauguration will come and go and nothing will happen. We are not going to relent in ensuring there is peace and stability across the length and breadth of the country. “

Gowon warned the disgruntled candidates who had filed petitions with the various electoral tribunals to respect the court’s sanctity and humbly accept its ruling in the days to come.

The elder statesmen provided their counsel in Abuja at the 15th annual symposium and PUNUKA Annual Lecture 2023 in memory of the late Supreme Court Justice Chike Idigbe.

The ex-military chief urged the public and displeased lawmakers to respect the court’s rulings while emphasizing the importance of a powerful, impartial, and independent judiciary.

He said, “As we move forward as a nation, let us not forget the role that the judiciary plays in nation-building, especially the apex court, in carrying out its duty of questioning the veracity of the decisions of the lower court.

 “As such, we need to allow the apex court their deliberations and come up with their decisions, and as the public, to be humble to accept its decision as final in order to maintain the sanctity of the judiciary as individuals and as an institution.

“This is very important at this stage given the post-election litigation that is now going on. Let us give the judiciary the opportunity to do its work and let us accept their decision as it is.”

Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, promised on Thursday that when he takes office as president on May 29, he will keep every campaign promise he made.

In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the opening of the Magistrates’ Court Complex named for a former chief judge of the state, Justice Iche Ndu (ret. ), Tinubu, whose campaign platform was dubbed “Renewed Hope,” made the pledge.

“The reform is on the way; I am here with the hope that you will collaborate with me; I promise you my commitment to fulfil all political promises I made,” the President-elect declared.

He added that, “I promise Nigerians the unity of this country is not negotiable. That is what Nyesom Wike and I are promoting jointly. I promise I will be fair to all.

“We will fight poverty; and we must fight it rigorously. Poverty of thinking, poverty, poverty of standard; poverty of reasoning.”

Tinubu praised Wike for erecting the courthouse, which he called beautiful, and said that caring for judges and ensuring their comfort was the best approach to fight judicial corruption.

Tinubu said, “I take a different angle to what Wike has done here today. It is fighting corruption, and you have been contributing very well to this.

“You don’t expect your judges to live in squalor, to operate in squalor, to dispense justice in squalor. This is part of the changes that are necessary in our policy think tank.

“We must fight corruption and we definitely must look at the other side of the coin. If you don’t want your judges to be corrupt, you got to pay attention to their welfare. If you want fair dispensation of justice, you don’t want them to operate in hazardous conditions. Let’s think value for value. If I don’t have consumer credit and you want me to pay for the car I needed at once, N5m, N6m, driving temptation to corruption.

“But if you have consumer credit, then that will reduce the propensity to corruption. We don’t want our judges to play foul, to compromise justice. Not just the books, but do something. And I promise you, we are going to review all of these in our policy think tank.”

Tinubu said with what Wike had done, it was left for the magistrates to do justice.

“May God give you the will and the commitment to dispense justice to our society,” he said.

“May God give you the will and the commitment to dispense justice to our society,” he said.

He lashed out at what he described as  “the diversion they gave my story yesterday (Wednesday),” on Wike’s demand for commitment that the Federal Government should refund the money spent by the state on federal projects.

Tinubu said, “I don’t want to quarrel with anybody or with people before I even assume office. But I speak my mind always. We are on the same platform. We must tolerate one another, live together.”

Nafiu Biodun, 21, and Tijani Dada, 30, were detained by the Amotekun corps in Osun State on Thursday after they allegedly tried to murder Lateef Sikiru in Apomu.

The two individuals were detained, according to the Corps, after an Isokan Local Government Area command complaint was made against them.

According to a statement from Idowu Yusuf, the spokesperson for Osun Amotekun, which was obtained in Osogbo, agents detained the suspects on Wednesday in Apomu at various locations.

According to the report, the suspects have been given to the police for additional questioning and possible prosecution.

The Osun Amotekun Commander, Brig. Gen. Bashir Adewinmbi, (retd.), while commenting on the development said, “The suspects were arrested at different locations in Apomu after attempting to murder one Lateef Sikiru by shooting a gun at him.

“A complaint was lodged at Amotekun Isokan Local Government Command and the operatives swung into action immediately and the culprits were apprehended in their hideout.

“During the investigation, Biodun confessed to perpetrating the act, while Wakili said he gave Abiodun his gun with the motive that he wanted to use the gun to kill bush meat.”

In the Kano city, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has freed 18 alleged victims of human trafficking.

A T Yayaji, the state’s NIS Assistant Comptroller, confirmed the news on Thursday in Kano to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said that on April 26, about 1:30 pm, rescuers from the service located the victims at Zaria Road and Kurna/Rijiyar Lemo on the Kano-Katsina Road.

“The victims were rescued by officers and men of Operation Squad (ANTI-SOM) Unit following an intelligent report received of an unusual suspected movement of migrant smuggling.

“None of the victims had any travel documents and it is a clear attempt of an illegal border crossing,” he said.

Yayaji claims that the victims, who ranged in age from 21 to 43 and consisted of four men and 14 women, were detained as they traveled via the Niger Republic to Libya in search of greener pastures.

He stated that the victims were from the states of Edo, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Enugu, Lagos, and Delta, and that they had been turned over to the NAPTIP for counseling before being reunited with their families.

While urging state citizens to report cases of trafficking and other associated crimes to the appropriate authorities, Yajaji recommended parents to refrain from sending their children to look for greener pastures in another nation in order to safeguard them from, among other things, enslavement and organ harvest.

Returning Nigerian students from Egypt who were flown back to Nigeria have described their experience, stating that some women were sexually harassed and that they were so poor that they had to steal items from stores and flee.

At the international airport in Abuja, a returning female student informed journalists that they endured humiliation and had to sleep in the open.

“We spent all the money we had. We were so hungry and thirsty. They were harassing us sexually. There was no food, no water to drink. It got to a point we picked things from shops and ran away,” the returnee female student spoke of her excruciating experience while at the border.

Another female student claimed in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service that her legs were swelled from spending so much time in buses.

Speaking about his experience, a male student claimed that things were so awful that they even had to pay before they could urinate. He expressed his hope that the war would stop soon so that he could return to Sudan and finish just one semester of his degree there.

For the swearing-in event of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the deputy, Dr. Kadri Hamzat, the Lagos State Government claims to have established a 22-member inauguration committee.

Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat’s inauguration on May 29 will be planned by the committee, according to a statement from the commissioner for information and strategy, Gbenga Omotoso.

According to Omotoso, the committee’s Vice-Chairperson is Mrs. Saidat Oladunjoye, a former commissioner for education in Lagos State, and its Chairman is Mr. Tayo Ayinde, the governor’s chief of staff.

He stated that members of the committee would participate in the planning of the inauguration through numerous subcommittees.

The Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Gboyega Soyannwo, Mr. Abayomi Oluyomi, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, Mrs. Aramide Adeyoye, Mr. Olawale Musa, Mr. Sukanmi Oyegbola, Mr. Bayo Ogunlana, and Dr. A. W. Olarinmoye are among the other members of the committee, according to him.

Other persons on the list are Mr Kolade Alabi; Mr Bolaji Durojaiye; Mr Tunde Onigbanjo; Adetoun Sanwo-Olu; Tejumade Lawal; Belinda Aderonke Odeneye; Kunle Fagbemi; Fola Hamzat; Simi Mosuro; Dr Hakeem Shittu and Mrs Ayiri Oladunmoye.

“Mrs Adenike Akanbi will be the Secretary of the Committee, which also has the Special Adviser on Education, Mr Tokunbo Wahab as well as Mr Bimbo Onabanjo, as members.”

Omotoso said that the committee had started work. 

Nigerian women working in Iraq are exploited in many ways, according to Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, director general of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.

When discussing the plight of young women, the DG made this disclosure in a statement, claiming that the majority of them were employed as domestic helpers in Iraq and regularly exploited.

Most young Nigerian women, according to Waziri-Azi, are now demanding help from others in order to go back to their homes.

According to her, NAPTIP is currently looking into a number of rogue labor recruiters who were allegedly key figures in the widespread recruitment of Nigerians to Iraq for domestic servitude.

The DG added that since the CIA and its partners had made traffickers aware of the well-known destination nations across the world, their focus has now turned to Iraq.

“We are inundated with pleas for rescue and repatriation from female victims trafficked to Iraq, especially to the cities of Baghdad and Basra where they are distributed to homes by their recruiters to a hard life of domestic servitude.

“Available information shows that many of these victims have been admitted to hospital many times due to long work hours under harsh conditions they are forced to undergo.

“Most of them have complained of deteriorating health resulting from the weight of work.

“They are constantly under threat of being harmed either by their direct employers or the Iraqi agents, each time they complained of unbearable workload.

“Many of them have no access to their phones because their phones are seized immediately, they are paired with an employer.

“They are never allowed out of the premises where they are serving and even when communication is established with them for rescue, they cannot give details of their location,” she said.

The DG acknowledged the alarming nature of the situation and added that the heavy burden placed on the weak by their taskmasters was quite concerning.

According to Waziri-Azi, Nigerian women’s plight is made worse by the fact that they are frequently the targets of sexual harassment from people in the household where they are employed.

She urged Nigerians to take heed of this frantic desire to leave the country in search of greener pastures, noting that it was the main motivation for many of them to travel.

The DG claimed that many Nigerian women had fallen victim to both labor recruiters’ lies and those of human traffickers, who had promised them lucrative positions abroad.

She emphasized the necessity for individuals to carefully consider each offer that was made to them and to get a second and third opinion before accepting such offers from outside the country.

According to her, “If a sponsor facilitates your travel, you will be forced to do any job to pay off your sponsor before earning money for yourself.”

The DG stated that NAPTIP would continue to work with relevant Ministries, Department and Agencies in Nigeria and partners to ensure the safe return of the victims from Iraq.