Former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice have sued the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and four others over the real age of David Ukpo who was taken to the UK to donate an organ to Ekweremadu’s daughter Sonia.
Ekweremadu and wife are currently being held in the UK and accused of conspiracy to harvest the organs of Ukpo whom UK authorities believe is 15 years old.
Others mentioned in the suit are the Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS); Stanbic-IBTC Bank; United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc.
In an originating summon filed on June 27 by Ekweremadus’ lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, before Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja, the couple wants the court to give an order directing the NIMC to supply them with the certified true copy (CTC) of the biodata information of Ukpo.
The applicants said Ukpo’s National Identification Number (NIN):19438077110, which is in the possession of the agency, should be produced for the purpose of facilitating the criminal investigation and tendering same to establish their innocence with respect to Ukpo’s age in the criminal charges against them before the Uxbridge Magistrate Court, UK.
They also, among others, sought an order directing the NIS C-G to supply the applicants with the documents and application form of Ukpo presented for the issuance of International passport No. BO0569974 for the purpose of assisting criminal investigation and tendering same before the Uxbridge Magistrate Court, UK until July 7 in the alleged criminal charge brought against the applicants.
Explaining the couple’s side of the story, the lawyer said in the summon, “After conducting various medical tests, the Royal Free Hospital in London decided that the said David Nwamini Ukpo was not a suitable donor because his kidney is not compatible with that of Sonia Ekweremadu.”
According to Awomolo, Ukpo was then asked to return to Nigeria but rather than do so, he approached the authorities in the United Kingdom for protection from being returned to Nigeria.
“David Nwamini Ukpo told the United Kingdom police that he is fifteen years of age contrary to the information supplied to the applicants by the same David Nwamini Ukpo.
“The applicants verily believe that Ukpo was actually 21 or more having regards to the public records in the custody of the respondents,” he said.
Justice Ekwo fixed July 1 for hearing of the matter.
