Sonia Ekweremadu, daughter of the convicted former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, says she blames herself because her parents went to prison while trying to help her with her illness. In an interview with the BBC on Friday, Ekweremadu’s daughter made the statement.
A UK jury decided in March 2023 that Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and a doctor named Obinna Obeta were guilty of criminal conspiracy for their role in bringing a 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to take advantage of him for his kidney.
According to a report, the young man attempted to get doctors at London’s Royal Free Hospital to perform a $80,000 private surgery by posing as Sonia’s cousin. On Friday, they were all sentenced to jail time by a judge at London’s Old Bailey.
The judge gave Ekweremadu a sentence of nine years and eight months in jail, Beatrice a sentence of four years and six months, and the “middleman” doctor, Obeta, a 10-year sentence.
Nonetheless, Sonia, who was also tried along with her parents despite being on dialysis, was found not guilty.
Sonia and her brothers were caught off guard when the cops unexpectedly showed up at their house and explained their mission. Sonia stated that she did not agree with her parents’ conviction. She admitted that while she understood the conviction behind the view, she disagreed with it.
“I understand the conviction; however, I personally disagree with it. That is from a very biassed perspective as their daughter, and I will obviously always support my parents. However, the law has taken its course; we just need to move on as one family.”
She has a kidney condition called nephrotic syndrome, which causes excessive protein loss through urination.
She said she had nothing to do with the man who was scheduled to donate a kidney to her. “I didn’t have a hand in it; it was mostly my family that handled everything about my medical side. And, “I don’t think things will ever be the same; already I feel guilty because I feel all these things happened because of me.”
