Embattled former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice, have dragged the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations on human trafficking.
The suit filed before Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court, Abuja, is for the commission to unravel the true age of their accuser, David Ukpo Nwamini.
Other defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/984/2022, include the Comptroller General (C-G), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS); Stanbic-IBTC Bank; United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc as 2nd to 5th respondents respectively.
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DAILY REPORT recalls that Ekweremadu and his wife were last week Thursday arrested by the Metropolitan Police in Heathrow, London while on their way to Instanbul, Turkey.
The couple was tried before the Uxbridge Magistrate Court for allegedly conspiring to the trafficking of Ukpo to the UK for organ harvesting.
Prosecutors say Ukpo was a minor and was incapable of giving consent for a kidney transplant for Ms. Sonia Ekweremadu.
The Ekweremadus persistently denied the allegations but were remanded in prison until July 7 when the case would be called up for hearing.
In the suit filed on Monday by counsel to the couple, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, the Ekweremadus sought the court to pass an order directing NIMC to supply them with the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the biodata information of David Nwamini Ukpo.
The applicants said Ukpo’s National Identification Number (NIN):19438077110, which is in the possession of the agency, should be produced for the purpose of facilitating the criminal investigation and tendering same to establish their innocence with respect to Ukpo’s age in the criminal charges against them before the Uxbridge Magistrate Court.
They also sought an order directing the NIS C-G to supply the applicants with the documents and application form of David Nwamini Ukpo in the possession of the 2nd respondent presented for the issuance of International passport No. BO0569974 for the purpose of assisting criminal investigation and issuing same before the Uxbridge Magistrate Court, UK until July 7 in the alleged criminal charge brought against the applicants.
The lawyer noted that documents being sought to be handed over to the applicants will support the applicants in their defence and establish their innocence of the charges in the interest of justice.
Also, Bright Ekweremadu, the elder brother of the lawmaker, in the affidavit deposed to, said Ukpo informed the couple that he was 21 years old, having been born in the year 2000 and was ready to help Sonia.
Justice Ekwo fixed July 1 for hearing of the matter.
