Ekweremadu sues NIMC, NIS requests for bio-data of Kidney donor

Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president, and his wife, Beatrice, have sued the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) over the controversy surrounding the real age of David Ukpo.

You would recall that, the former deputy senate president and his wife were recently arrested for allegedly bringing a minor to the UK for organ harvesting.

They were refused bail and hence remanded in custody till July 7 when the case comes up again.

Senator Ekweremadu and his wife have however in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/984/2022 and filed on June 27 by their counsel Adegboyega Awomolo, before Justice Inyang Ekwo, of the federal high court in Abuja, prayed the court for an order directing the NIMC to supply them with the certified true copy (CTC) of Ukpo’s biodata.

They also sought an order directing the NIS comptroller-general to supply the applicants with Ukpo’s documents and application form presented for the issuance of his international passport.

The suit is also seeking an order directing Stanbic IBTC Bank and UBA to supply the applicants with the certified true copy of the “mandate card and account opening package of Ukpo’s bank accounts”.

Awomolo said Ukpo had informed the applicants that he was 21 years old, after which the Ekweremadu’s supported his visa application to the United Kingdom with a letter to the British high commission in Nigeria, explaining the purpose of the visit.

However, “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 UK, claiming he was 15 years old.

“The applicants require documents from the respondents to assist in the fair criminal investigation and as facts in their defence to establish their innocence of the allegation in the charge and to prove that David Nwamini Ukpo is not a minor and indeed consented to the medical examination in the United Kingdom,” he said.

Ekwo fixed July 1 for hearing of the matter.