Anayo Royce writes that there is more to the Ekweremadus’ troubled visit to the United Kingdom
There are always two sides to every story and it is generally wise, safe and charitable to listen to both before committing to one.
There are two players on each side. The first is light, whereas the second is dark. One must beware of the half-truth. You may have gotten hold of the wrong half.
After taking time to read both sides of the story and also with the new development about the real age of the supposed donor, UkpoNwamini David, the whole thing is becoming more glaring.
The former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu was arrested alongside his wife by the Metropolitan police in the United Kingdom for alleged child organ harvesting offence.
And since the news broke out, most Nigerians have condemned the alleged action of Ekweremadu following the confession of the supposed donor that he was not aware that he was brought to UK for kidney transplant.
The boy whose organ was going to stand as a kidney donor said he is only a 15-year-old which contradicted the 21 years which Ekweremadu had claimed while processing the visa, adding that he was not aware of the intention of the Senator which spiked a lot of reactions among Nigerians.
There is, however, a new twist in the alleged child organ harvesting case.
According to information on the passport data page of Ukpo, he was born on October 12, 2000. Also, a check on the Bank Verification Number (BVN) portal also showed Ukpo’s date of birth as October 12, 2000.
Reports also disclosed that UkpoNwamini David’s kidney did not match that of Ms. Sonia Ekweremadu and instead of returning to Nigeria, he wanted to seek sympathy from the UK government in order to get asylum not minding the damage it could cause the former Deputy Senate President.
Ekweremadu notified the UK government of a request to facilitate a visa for a boy who was coming as a kidney donor for his daughter.
Part of the visa medical application reads: “I am writing in support of the visa application made by Mr. UkpoNwamini David who is currently having medical investigations for a kidney donation to Ms. Sonia Ekweremadu.”
“David and Sonia will be at the Royal Free Hospital London and I will be providing the necessary funding. I have enclosed a statement of the bank account.”
Without any iota of doubt, David UkpoNwamini, is above 20. And shortly after the news of Ekweremadu’s arrest, he immediately went to share new pictures on Facebook page with caption “Grace sweet, Let’s keep hustling”.
David UkpoNwamini decided to play a fast one not minding the trauma he would subject the family of Ekweremadu to just because of greener pasture.
Unfortunately, the story has turned around; Nigerians and the world have been fed with the wrong angle of the story.
Findings however, revealed that the said Ekweremadu’s daughter recently passed out from her NYSC where she served in Abuja early this year and has been in the UK since February this year. She travelled with the young man in question.
His Bank Verification Number popularly known as BVN has proven beyond reasonable doubt that the stories by supposed donor were fabricated just to gain a better living in the UK.
The young man is 21 years of age, not a 15-year-old child and is related to the Ekweremadus through Ekweremadu’s wife.
He is not a vagrant picked from the streets of Lagos. The young man’s kidney did not match Ekweremadu daughter’s own and could not be a donor and had been in the UK on Ekweremadu’s account since February this year.
All the dramas did not come up since February that he has been in the UK until he was notified by the Ekweremadus that he will have to travel back to Nigeria since the transplant cannot go ahead.
The young man obviously did not want to return to Nigeria believing the circumstances could support his application for asylum in the UK. He went to the police to make the claim that he was 15 years (a child/minor) and was misled into accepting to be a donor.
Definitely his claim is being given the benefit of doubt by the UK authorities but the Ekweremadus have been scandalized, humiliated and reduced to felons by the young man’s quest to achieve a stay in the UK.
The investigations will definitely cover the Nigerian angle of events and the facts will be clear for all to see as time goes on.
Some prominent Nigerians who have followed up with the event including the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, have been praying for the Ekweremadus at their trying times and definitely, they will come out of it because the truth is not hidden.
The Nigerian government is yet to release any official statement on the scandal probably, because Ekweremadu is not a member of the ruling party APC.
It was also in the news that the alleged victim of organ trafficking involving Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife in the UK is 25 years old as against 15 claimed by the British Police.
The younger brother of David UkpoNwanmini, Jonathan UkpoNwanmini who was unhappy with the lies fabricated against his fellow Igbo man said the victim, David UkpoNwanmini is his elder brother.
According to him, “David is my elder brother because we are both of the same father with different mothers and we hail from Ebonyi State. I will be 22 years old by next month and David is 25 years old. I am aware that he travelled because he told me. He did not disclose the country he was travelling to. He simply told me he was going to school abroad.”
“After some months of not hearing from him, I got his number from his girlfriend and called him. I asked about his studies and work.”
The act by the supposed donor David is however, just a selfish means to secure a better life but with the investigation still on, the truth is not far from coming out.
Despite Ekweremadu’s diplomatic passport, he has been denied bail. Diplomatic immunity is a principle of international law that provides foreign diplomats with a degree of protection from criminal or civil prosecution under the laws of the countries hosting them.
.-Royce writes from Lagos.
