Di decision of one man wey dey experience tough time to waka go one police station near Heathrow Airport, go lead to UK first prosecution of human trafficking for organ removal.
Di Metropolitan Police team don give di BBC plenty access to investigate dis historic case.
Daniel dey about to get di informate wey e go fear most for im life.
E bin siddon for one consulting room for di Royal Free hospital for London, and dey follow doctors tok wit di small English e understand.
Di 21-year-old street trader from Lagos, Nigeria, bin come UK days earlier for wetin dem tell am say go be “life-changing opportunity”. E tink say na correct job e dey come do.
But now doctors come dey tell am about di risks of di operation plus di need for lifelong medical care.
Na dat moment, Daniel tell investigators, say im realise say no be job opportunity carry am come UK but na to give im kidney to a stranger.
“Dem bin wan cut am up like a piece of meat, take wetin dem want from im body come stitch am back,” Christine Huddlestone, from di anti-modern slavery group Justice and Care tok.
Luckily for Daniel, di doctors don become suspicious say e know sabi wetin dey happun and dem fear say maybe dem dey force am. So dem stop di process.
However, Daniel no still dey free of im traffickers. For di flat wia im dey stay, two men bin come question am. Na for dia e come hear one conversation wia dem dey tok say dem go send am back go Nigeria to comot im kidney for dia.
E run, and afta two nights e take get rough sleep, e waka enta one police station near Heathrow, dis one trigger one investigation wey go lead to UK first prosecution for human trafficking for organ removal.
Dis one happun for May 2022, and Daniel – no be im real name – now dey live under heavy police protection. The BBC’s File on 4 bin understand say dis ground-breaking case bin alert UK authorities to oda instances of organ trafficking. These include:
- Di case of one Indian man for im 60s wey don dey arrested for UK on top suspicion say e dey conspire to exploit one pesin for organ removal. Dem arrest am earlier dis month and e don dey released on bail
- Di Human Tissue Authority bin refer one case give police, wey must approve living organ transplants for UK, afta e refuse to give di go-ahead
- Authority bin refer some cases to police of pipo dem suspect say don return to UK afta dem illegally pay for transplants abroad
- Meanwhile, di Met Police tok say dem still dey torchlight “oda outstanding suspects” from dia original investigation.
Trafficked
Daniel case bin reveal di tactics wey traffickers dey use lure pipo come UK under false pretences.
Wen dem first offer Daniel di opportunity to work for UK, wen e still dey Nigeria, dem ask am to go do blood test. He tink say na for im UK visa, but na to really to check say im body dey healthy enof to remove im kidney.
Dem come put am on a flight to London – but e no get any money and dem no allow am to touch im passport. Dem dey control evri of im move.
Im traffickers come introduce am to one young Nigerian woman, who dey hope to collect im kidney.
Sonia, wey be 25-years-old at di time, bin get one serious form of kidney disease. She need a transplant and she dey on dialysis for five hours a day, three or four times a week.
Dem take one foto of dia meeting as evidence of dia relationship – as dem present am as her cousin, a willing donor for im family member.
Dat na becos while e dey legal to offer your organ to anoda pesin – you no fit do am for financial reward.
Wetin be organ harvesting
Organ-harvesting na to illegally remove parts of di body for transplant, most times for commercial gain, wit or without di victim consent. Under modern slavery laws, victim no fit give consent to dia own exploitation
E dey often involve, lie or a promise of a reward for vulnerable victims
Di UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 cover human trafficking, WIA organ harvesting fall. E dey punishable wit a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Dem carry Daniel go several meetings wit medical consultants for di private patients’ unit for London Royal Free Hospital.
Dem also pay one interpreter to coach Daniel to say whatever di doctors need to hear.
But di magomago fail and Daniel go inform di police.
Im testimony lead detectives go Sonia father, one of Nigeria most powerful politicians.
Ike Ekweremadu na senior senator and a multi-millionaire, wey dey pay im children school fees for UK.
For im trial earlier dis year, Ekweremadu tok say pipo mislead am and im no ever get am for mind to exploit Daniel.
In fact di jury hear say di defendant bin don help introduce laws wey make to give reward for organ donations criminal offence for Nigeria.
Middleman
Wen dem reach court, e show say no be only Daniel dem don bring come UK wit di intention say dem wan remove im kidney. Dem bin carry anoda transplant – wey also dey illegal – come UK for 2021.
Di man wey receive di organ in fact dey for dock, along wit di Ekweremadu’s – Sonia parents. E be dia middleman, Dr Obinna Obeta, wey arrange Daniel exploitation.
Dr Obeta sabi di process, e sabi wetin dey involve as im wan transplant too happun for di Royal Free Hospital.
Wen di court sentence dem, Oga Justice Johnson, as e dey refer to di first operation, tok say: “Dem bin lie give di clinicians for di Royal Free, plus di independent assessors for di Human Tissue Authority.”
Di lie na say di transplant wey happun for 2021 dey carried out on di understanding say di donor and recipient be cousins. In fact, e turn out say dem no dey related.
Di trial court also hear say although Daniel transplant don stop, nobody from di Royal Free hospital inform di police of dia concerns – wey mean say Daniel bin still dey at risk.
Di Royal Free Hospital tell di BBC say dem follow di official guidance for Daniel case and “as such dem take decision say dem no go proceed”.
Di hospital add say dem go kontinu “to work closely wit di Metropolitan Police to ensure say all those wey dey our transplant services dey aware of di law around organ trafficking and know wetin to do if dem suspect say dem don commit a crime”.
Transplant tourism
For July last year, to get paid-for transplant abroad become offence for England, Scotland and Wales. All clinicians for Great Britain now dey legally required to report any pesin wey come meet dem for aftercare.
Birmingham-based kidney specialist Dr Adnan Sharif tok say na hard crime to prove “but we know say e dey happun” – e cite recent NHS research wey show about 150 recorded cases of pipo wey return to UK over a 10-year period. Most instances na kidney transplants.
We ask di Human Tissue Authority (HTA) how many cases dem don refer to police since di law change last July.
Chief executive Dr Colin Sullivan tell us say dem don refer a “handful” of cases – e add say na doctors and odas clinicians bring some of dem come dia notice.
E say di HTA now don change guidance to staff, and dia IT systems, to flag higher risk cases more easily.
Wetin guilty mean?
Modern slavery cases most times dey very difficult to prove.
For Daniel case, di Met officers bin expect say di investigation go drag for years, becos di culprits don comot di kontri.
But, on 21 June 2022, Det Sgt Andy Owen bin receive one phone call wey informate am say Ike Ekweremadu and im wife Beatrice dey fly come London.
E quickly organise im team to go wait am for Heathrow, and armed officers escort di couple from di plane.
Di police seize di suspect mobile phones, wey make dem dey able to uncover di plot. Dem collect vital evidence wey include messages about a donor fee of 4.5 million naira (£4,317 or $5,487).
“E be like treasure chest,” Det Sgt Owen tell us. “I just dey see more and more incriminating evidence.”
But dealing wit dat kain powerful suspect no dey easy.
For di middle of di investigation, Nigerian senators bin try move di trial to Nigeria.
Dem also wan get “access to di victim”, Det Supt Andy Furphy tok, “wey obviously raise huge red flags for us. We immediately feel say di victim no dey safe.”
Afta dem seek legal advice, police bin dey able to ensure say access dey denied.
File on 4 follow di senator wey lead di delegation, Adamu Bulkachuwa tok, e visit Ike Ekweremadu for prison. He tell us say e bin wan put “both diplomatic pressure and executive pressure on di British goment to see if we fit save di situation”.
But senator Bulkachuwa bin insist say no be to give im colleague “easier ride” back home, e explain say “we also be signatories to di human trafficking laws internationally”.
On 23 March, jury found di three pipo wey dey involved for Daniel ordeal guilty. Di court sentence Ike Ekweremadu to nine years and eight months in prison. Im wife Beatrice get four and a half years. Di middleman, Dr Obeta, dey sentenced to 10 years.
Di court no find Sonia guilty.
Det Sgt Owen bin dey court wit Daniel.
“He actually ask say, ‘What does guilty mean?’ TDat na di level of understanding of di criminal justice system wey e get.”
Dat response, plus di victim refusal to accept compensation from di perpetrators, bin show a very different picture to pipo wey see am as “a young man wey just dey out for himself… to get as much money as e fit get,” Det Sgt Owen tok.
E tell BBC say Daniel dey happy dem believe am, and e just want move on wit im life.
Broken family
Back in Nigeria, dis situation na heartbreak for Daniel loved ones.
Now dem dey fear for revenge attacks from allies of di powerful Nigerian politician wey e send go prison.
We meet Daniel brother for di busy Lagos market wia Daniel take dey sell sell mobile phone accessories.
He tell us say im neva tok wit im broda since e suddenly disappear for February 2022 and e only find out wia e dey wen news of di trial dey reported months later.
“We bin dey cry every day and my father worry well-well and e even fall very sick,” e tok.
“Dem deceive and carry am away.”
Daniel landlord and mentor, wey e dey follow tok evri day before e vanish, no believe say Daniel go agree to sell im kidney.
“Becos e know say oda ways dey to make money. Even for £1m e no go do am,” e tok.
Daniel now dey afraid for im safety. E dey under police protection for di UK and feel say im no go fit return to Nigeria. E fit no ever see im family again.
E save im kidney and make legal history, but im life don dey torn apart.
Source : BBC
