A federal high court in Abuja has dismissed an application by Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOSCO) challenging earlier court orders that granted Ike Ekweremadu, the former deputy senate president, access to David Ukpo’s biodata for use in a UK court.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Delivering the ruling, Justice Inyang Ekwo held that EDOSCO lacked the legal standing to file the suit on behalf of Ukpo. Ekwo stated that under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009 (FREPR 2009), EDOSCO does not possess the legal personality to institute such an action.
The judge noted that EDOSCO’s counsel, Bamidele Igbinedion, had acknowledged the organisation as the applicant but failed to explicitly state this on the face of the application, instead revealing it within the supporting affidavit. Justice Ekwo added that the prayers listed in the motion were not related to the enforcement of fundamental rights and had become academic, as the information sought had already been used during the Ekweremadus’ trial and subsequent conviction.
In 2022, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, were charged in the UK with conspiring to traffic David Ukpo for organ harvesting. Initially, UK authorities claimed Ukpo was a minor, but subsequent evidence from his passport and bank verification number (BVN) indicated he was 21 years old.
In response, the Ekweremadus approached the federal high court in Abuja, securing orders for the release of Ukpo’s biodata from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and two banks. The information was crucial in their defense.
In March 2023, Ekweremadu, his wife, and a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta, were convicted under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act of 2015. Ekweremadu was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison, Beatrice received a four-year-and-six-month sentence, and Obeta was handed a 10-year term. Beatrice has since been released and returned to Nigeria.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
