Ekweremadu: Analyst Says UK Ignored Dossier Before Organ Trafficking Plot

Related stories

2027: Atiku, Sambo Visit Aregbesola in Osun Ahead of Owa Obokun’s Historic Coronation

• Obasanjo, Adeleke, Oyetola, Others Also Present By Abiola Olawale Former...

Belgium’s future queen caught up in Harvard foreign student ban

Princess Elisabeth, the 23-year-old future queen of Belgium, has...

Harvard Drags Trump’s Govt to Court Over International Students Enrollment Ban

Varsity says, "We Won't Surrender Our Academic Independence..." By...

2027: Yahaya Bello Speaks on Presidential Ambition, Tinubu

By Kolawole Ojebisi The immediate past governor of Kogi State,...

2027: A’Ibom Governor, Umo Eno Tells Aides: Defect With Me Or Resign

Speaks on Why he is Defecting By Abiola Olawale The...
  • Senator Already Under Radar of Intelligence Agencies.

By Yemi Yusuf with Agency Reports

Last week’s arrest and sentencing of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu for organ trafficking was not the first time the senator was suspected of criminal activities, TheNewDiplomat has learned.

A US intelligence analyst, Mathew Page said Ekweremadu who was jailed for nine years eight months for being “the driving force throughout” in a landmark organ trafficking plot heard at the London Old Bailey, said he has a dossier of the senator’s corrupt activities.

Page revealed that Ekweremadu was at the top of a list of nightly corrupt politicians from West Africa who send their children to very expensive private schools i the UK that are well above their legitimate incomes.

A Nigeria expert at the US state department’s bureau of intelligence and research from 2012 t0 2016, Page who is now an associate fellow at the Chatham House thinktank, said the trafficking conspiracy showed what could happen if documented suspicions about corruption were ignored.

“Clearly the UK authorities had ample opportunity to scrutinise Ekweremadu’s UK activities before things reached the point of people-trafficking or organ harvesting,” he said.

He said his research uncovered how Nigerian politicians including Ekweremadu used unexplained wealth to buy millions of pounds’ worth of properties in the UK apart from funding expensive private education for their children.

He argued that in a 12-year period, Ekweremadu would have made about £339,000 as a political office holder, including his stint as deputy president of the Nigerian senate. But in that period he bought three properties – two in London and one in Cambridge – worth £4.2m.

Although Ekweremadu continues to deny any corruption, the analyst said there was no way the senator can justify an international property portfolio worth more than £6m. Page said he was surprised that UK authorities ignored compelling evidence against the senator until his arrest for attempting to harvest the organ of a young Nigerian trader for his daughter, Sonia, who is on dialysis.

In a 2021 paper, Page said: “Perhaps the most compelling red flag relating to west African PEPs’ [prominent politically exposed persons] payments to UK educational institutions is how greatly the payments exceed their official salaries.”

The paper said that in 2020 the average salary for a senior west African politician was £16,000, while UK private school fees were more than £35,000 a year. Page wrote: “It suggests that the tuition fee payments they [PEPs] make to UK institutions may include proceeds of crime and thus constitute an illicit cashflow.”

An official of the British government who prefers to remain anonymous confirmed they had received Page’s information about Ekweremadu but rejected his claim that it was ignored. He said the information was handled seriously, appropriately and shared with law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly told the nation’s leading agency for white collar crime, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the matter.

Ekweremadu’s lawyer pointed out that the Nigeria High Commission has previously rejected the allegations against the senator. “My client denies any allegation of corruption , as he had done throughout the entire EFCC investigation.”

Yet according to Page, Ekweremadu sold three of his UK properties in autumn 2021 before running for election as governor of Enugu state. “Records show they were sold for a combined total of £5.09m, £874,000 more than Ekweremadu paid for them.”

The senator’s son, Ike Lloyd Ekweremadu, a Nigerian lawyer, defended the sale, pointed out that his father has bought and sold properties since 1988.

Page also spoke of his concern that Ekweremadu was able to repatriate his gain on the property sale to Nigeria adding that the senator had no business getting a visa to the UK much less bringing an innocent man to the country to harvest his organ if the authorities had acted upon his findings.

Page said: “When His Majesty’s government turns a blind eye to corruption/unexplained wealth, it has unpredictable knock-on effects, including – in this case – human suffering and heinous crime in the form of organ trafficking.”

The New Diplomat
The New Diplomathttps://newdiplomatng.com/
At The New Diplomat, we stand for ethical journalism, press freedom, accountable Republic, and gender equity. That is why at The New Diplomat, we are committed to speaking truth to power, fostering a robust community of responsible journalism, and using high-quality polls, data, and surveys to engage the public with compelling narratives about political, business, socio-economic, environmental, and situational dynamics in Nigeria, Africa, and globally.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

[tds_leads input_placeholder="Your email address" btn_horiz_align="content-horiz-center" pp_msg="SSd2ZSUyMHJlYWQlMjBhbmQlMjBhY2NlcHQlMjB0aGUlMjAlM0NhJTIwaHJlZiUzRCUyMiUyMyUyMiUzRVByaXZhY3klMjBQb2xpY3klM0MlMkZhJTNFLg==" pp_checkbox="yes" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLXRvcCI6IjMwIiwibWFyZ2luLWJvdHRvbSI6IjQwIiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiJ9LCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMTUiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMjUiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sInBvcnRyYWl0X21heF93aWR0aCI6MTAxOCwicG9ydHJhaXRfbWluX3dpZHRoIjo3NjgsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMjAiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMzAiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sImxhbmRzY2FwZV9tYXhfd2lkdGgiOjExNDAsImxhbmRzY2FwZV9taW5fd2lkdGgiOjEwMTksInBob25lIjp7Im1hcmdpbi10b3AiOiIyMCIsImRpc3BsYXkiOiIifSwicGhvbmVfbWF4X3dpZHRoIjo3Njd9" display="column" gap="eyJhbGwiOiIyMCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTAiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIxNSJ9" f_msg_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_input_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_btn_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_family="downtown-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_weight="700" f_btn_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_transform="uppercase" btn_text="Unlock All" btn_bg="#000000" btn_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxOCIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjE0IiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxNCJ9" input_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjEyIiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxMCJ9" pp_check_color_a="#000000" f_pp_font_weight="600" pp_check_square="#000000" msg_composer="" pp_check_color="rgba(0,0,0,0.56)" msg_succ_radius="0" msg_err_radius="0" input_border="1" f_unsub_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_msg_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_weight="500" f_msg_font_weight="500" f_unsub_font_weight="500"]

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
2027: Atiku, Sambo Visit Aregbesola in Osun Ahead of Owa Obokun’s Historic CoronationBelgium’s future queen caught up in Harvard foreign student banHarvard Drags Trump's Govt to Court Over International Students Enrollment Ban2027: Yahaya Bello Speaks on Presidential Ambition, Tinubu2027: A'Ibom Governor, Umo Eno Tells Aides: Defect With Me Or ResignFagbemi: How Nigeria Was Rescued From $11bn P&ID ScamExclusive! 2027: Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai, Amaechi, Fayemi, Aregbesola, Shekerau, Mark, Others Meet SundayShagari: Why APC Adopted Tinubu As Sole Presidential Candidate For 2027Defection: You Don't Blame People For Bailing Out Of Sinking Ship, Tinubu Taunts CriticsBREAKING! Trump Blocks Harvard University's International Students EnrollmentUzodinma, Sanwo-Olu, Zulum, Other APC Governors Endorse Tinubu as 2027 Presidential FlagbearerMinority Leader Kicks As Another LP Legislator Dumps Party For APCTinubu Swears-In Kida, Ojulari, Others As NNPCL Board Members Seven Weeks After AppointmentNatasha vs Akpabio:FG Slams Criminal Charges Against Akpoti-UduaghanRelief as Dangote Refinery Slashes Petrol Prices by N15
X whatsapp