Oxford University organized training sessions for Chinese transplant doctors, including those accused of illegal organ harvesting, despite warnings about collaborating with the Chinese transplant sector due to widespread allegations of harvesting organs from political prisoners and Falun Gong practitioners. Concerns have been raised about inadvertent complicity in organ harvesting, and the involvement of senior NHS clinicians in the training programmes. The Chinese Communist Party's influence on international medical collaborations and the lack of transparency around organ sourcing in China have raised global concerns about unethical conduct in organ donation and transplantation.
Police in Pakistan have arrested eight individuals for their involvement in an illegal organ harvesting ring, where kidneys were surgically removed from hundreds of patients and sold to wealthy clients in need of transplants. The alleged gang leader, known as "Dr Fawad," conducted 328 operations, with each kidney fetching up to $34,000. The gang operated in various regions, including Taxila, Lahore, and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where there are no laws regarding kidney transplants. Three deaths have been confirmed so far, and investigations are ongoing. The chief minister is working to strengthen cyber laws to prevent online advertisements for illegal kidney transplants.
A former US intelligence analyst, Matthew Page, had warned the UK about Ike Ekweremadu's unexplained wealth and activities in Britain, including buying properties worth millions of pounds and funding expensive private education for his children. The warnings were ignored, and Ekweremadu and his wife were recently jailed for attempting to traffic a man to London to harvest his kidney. Page's research suggests that tuition fee payments made by West African politicians to UK institutions may include proceeds of crime and constitute an illicit cashflow.
Nigerian senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, and a doctor have been sentenced to prison in the UK for their involvement in an organ harvesting plot. They were found guilty of trafficking a 21-year-old street trader to the UK to provide a kidney for the senator's daughter. This is the first conviction of its kind under Britain's modern slavery laws. The victim was promised work and a reward of up to £7,000 but was unaware that he was expected to provide a kidney in return. The medical consultant called off the transplant after becoming suspicious, and the victim fled and reported the plan to UK police.
Nigerian MP Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, and a middleman were found guilty of trafficking a Nigerian street trader to the UK to provide a kidney for the Ekweremadus’ daughter. They face up to 10 years in prison under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Many in Nigeria have appealed for leniency during his sentencing, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the President of the Nigerian Senate, Ahmad Lawan. However, some have raised concerns that high profile politicians are using their influence to advocate for a convicted criminal.
A Nigerian senator and his wife have been found guilty in a London court of a plot to harvest the organs of a young man from Nigeria who was lured to the UK with the promise of a job. The couple arranged a visa for the victim and a private transplant at London's Royal Free Hospital, with a health tourism company acting as a go-between. The victim later escaped and reported the crime to the police. The couple and a third defendant, a doctor, were convicted of conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation – namely organ harvesting - under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Nigerian Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, and Dr. Obinna Obeta were found guilty of trafficking a 21-year-old street trader to the UK to provide a kidney for the Ekweremadus’ daughter. The victim was brought to the UK after being offered money and the promise of work, but he did not know that he was expected to provide a kidney in return. The victim was left to sleep on the streets for three days before approaching authorities. The convicted defendants showed utter disregard for the victim’s welfare, health, and well-being.
Nigerian politician Ike Ekweremadu and his wife were found guilty of conspiring to transport a man to the UK for organ harvesting. The victim was recruited at a Lagos street market and was to provide a kidney to the couple's daughter in exchange for thousands of pounds. The verdict is the first to convict suspects of an organ-harvesting conspiracy under the UK's modern slavery laws. The defendants were ordered to remain in custody, and their sentencing was scheduled for May 5.
