On Monday June 27th, Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice, filed a suit through their counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, against the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and others over the alleged organ harvesting victim’s age, before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja division.
In a summon marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/984/2022, the couple sought an order directing the NIMC to supply them with the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the biodata information of David Nwamini Ukpo to help their case to the UK government and establish their innocence in the criminal charges against them.
Respondents in the suit include: NIMC, the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Stanbic-IBTC Bank, United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc.
Mr. Awomolo said the application was brought pursuant to Order 3, Rule 1 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2019, Sections 6 and 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.
According to the lawyer, “the Ekweremadu’s had taken the boy to the UK with his consent to be a kidney donor for their daughter if his kidney has been checked to be compatible after some medical tests.
The medical test conducted revealed that Mr Ukpo’s kidney was not compatible with their daughter as he is not a suitable donor.
Following the result of the medical observation, the boy was asked to return back to Nigeria but rather than do so, he approached the UK police for protection and told them he was 15 years old.” As reported by Nairametrics.
Speaking on the lawyer said “The applicants require documents from the respondents to assist in the fair criminal investigation and as facts in their defense 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.”
“They said David Nwamini Ukpo is presently in care, in the custody of British Authorities and he cannot be accessed by the applicants.”
“The documents being sought to be handed over to the applicants will support the applicants in their defense and establish their innocence of the charges brought against them”, the lawyer said.
As reported by Nairametrics, they sought among others, the following reliefs:
“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 second respondent presented for the issuance of International passport No. BO0569974 for the purpose of assisting criminal investigation and tendering same before the Uxbridge Magistrate Court, UK until July 7 in the alleged criminal charge brought against the applicants.”
“An order of court directing the Stanbic-IBTC Bank to supply the applicants with the Certified True Copy of mandate card and account opening package of account No. 0032551834 maintained by its customer, Ukpo, with Bank Verification Number 22509616391 in the custody of the bank, for the purpose of tendering same to establish the innocence of the applicants with respect to his age in the criminal charges filed against the applicants.”
“An order of court directing UBA to supply the applicants with the Certified True Copy of mandate card and account opening package of account No. 2195739574 maintained by Ukpo with Bank Verification Number 22509616391 in the custody of the bank, for the purpose of tendering same to establish the innocence of the applicants.”
