Alleged organ harvesting: Ekweremadu detained 82 days, daughter begs for kidney donor

Sonia Ekweremadu, the ailing daughter of the detained former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has appealed to members of the public to donate a kidney to save her life.

The PUNCH had reported that Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, were arrested by the Specialist Crime Team of the Metropolitan Police in London, United Kingdom, for bringing a child into the country to allegedly harvest his organs.

They were arrested in June 2022 at the Heathrow Airport in London and arraigned before a UK Magistrate’s Court.

While Ekweremadu’s wife was granted bail by a criminal court in London, the Senator was denied the same and had been in the custody of UK authorities since June 23.

Checks by The PUNCH revealed that Ekweremadu had spent no fewer than 82 days in prison custody since his arrest in the UK. The case against him was recently adjourned till October 31, 2022.

However, as the politician continues to languish in prison, his ailing daughter, who expressed worry over her father’s health, in an emotional post on Instagram on Monday, appealed to members of the public to save her with a kidney donation.

Chronicling her ordeal using her Instagram handle, @soniaekw, Sonia, a graduate of Media and Communications, University of Coventry, said she dropped out of postgraduate studies after she was diagnosed with rare kidney disease.

In the statement titled, “Appeal for Kidney Donation by Sonia Ekweremadu,” the 25-year-old wrote, “I, Sonia Ekweremadu, hereby appeal to the general public to come to my aid and save my life. I was diagnosed with rare kidney disease, FSGS Nephrotic Syndrome.

“My family has battled to save my life and has taken me to various hospitals but the illness persisted and kept degenerating. I am alive today by the special grace of God. I am presently in London, UK, receiving five hours of dialysis 3-4 times a week. This is at the expense of my family as I am not qualified for the NHS due to my immigration status.

“The last three years have been extremely challenging. The charges being faced by my parents in London presently are directly connected to my illness and have complicated matters for me and my family. Punch