The father of Ukpo Nwamini David, the young man Senator Ike Ekweremadu took to the United Kingdom for a kidney transplant, has reportedly died of heartbreak after years without seeing his son.
On Monday morning, one of the sons, Boniface Nwamini Ukpo, confirmed the death of their father to Daily Post, saying they have not spoken with David since the incident happened in 2022.
“Yes, my father died yesterday (Sunday) afternoon by 12 p.m. It’s so sad that since the incident happened in 2022, we have not spoken with my brother, David Nwamini,” Boniface was quoted as saying.
“So, my father has been sick over the saga, and yesterday he finally died.”
David’s relocation to the UK stemmed was followed by a high-profile criminal case that shook Nigeria and the European country.
In June 2022, former Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, were arrested by the London Metropolitan Police and charged with conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of another person with a view to exploitation — namely, organ harvesting.
In 2023, a UK court jailed the former Deputy Senate President and his wife for human trafficking and conspiracy for organ harvesting.
An Old Bailey Court in London found them, along with a medical doctor, guilty of plotting to harvest David’s organ for their daughter Sonia in a London NHS hospital.
The court heard how the couple trafficked David, identified as a 21-year-old street trader from Lagos, with the intention to use his kidney for Sonia in an £80,000 private transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
Sonia, 25, was later cleared of the same charge.
Breaking his silence on the case, David gave his account on Facebook, detailing how he was lured to the UK without knowing he was to be used for an organ transplant.
“On one fateful day I met a man named Okoro in a building site where I was working for my daily bread, Okoro told me he like me, he want to help me achieve my dream because he saw me as a great person,” he posted.
“He told me could you like to work in UK. I just started laughing because I don’t have money for that, then I told him no am not interested and asked me why I told him I don’t have money for that.”
He further said, “He just started laughing to me and told me he is going to introduce me to senator his company in UK need workers, so he could start my visa processing.
“I have no other option than to accept the offered, after two day the man came to the building site again and told me the senator wanted to see me so we could start the visa processing, then I dropped my shovel and head pan and went to bath immediately.”
“When we landed in hospital in UK, I was told I must go for a medical test to check my health status, if I’m fit for the job. I accepted without any question.”
“I thank God for Doctor Harry who told me everything and I told him why I’m here and he later called police for my rescued,” he posted.
The family says David has remained unreachable since the trial.
