Ike Ekweremadu, 60, and his wife Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55, appeared earlier on Thursday at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court in west London.
The alleged victim, a 15-year-old boy, has been taken into custody. The Met Police stated that agencies were working to assist him.
Mr Ekweremadu, a politician and a barrister, was deputy president of the Senate, according to the court.
The defendants live in Nigeria but have family in London, according to the magistrates. Both are accused of conspiring to arrange and/or facilitate another person’s travel for the purpose of exploitation.
The clerk inquired about the couple’s address, to which they both replied, “Nigeria.”
Because of jurisdictional issues, the prosecution needed permission to proceed, according to the court.
“In respect of these offences, the (UK) Attorney General’s consent is required, and the Crown requires 14 days for that to be obtained,” prosecutor Damla Ayas told the court.
The majority of the alleged offences occurred in the United Kingdom, according to the magistrates. The Ekweremadus, who were arrested two days ago, have been remanded in custody and will appear in court on July 7th.
Mr Ekweremadu, who was recently appointed as a visiting professor at the University of Lincoln, served three terms as Senate Deputy President from 2007 to 2019.
He has been a senator since 2003, representing the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
After detectives were alerted to potential modern-day slavery offences, the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Team launched an investigation. Organ harvesting involves removing parts of the body, often for commercial gain and against the victim’s will.
A spokesman for the University of Lincoln, “Visiting professors are frequently, as in this case, non-resident at the university, unpaid, and advisory.”
We are deeply concerned about the nature of these allegations, but we cannot comment further at this time because this is an ongoing police investigation.
