A RICH couple trafficked a man to the UK to harvest his kidney for their sick daughter in exchange for up to £7,000, a court heard.
Sonia Ekweremadu, 25, Ike Ekweremadu, 60, and Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55, allegedly trafficked the 21-year-old from Lagos in Nigeria.
They are accused of wanting to harvest his organs for Sonia, who suffers from kidney failure and requires dialysis.
The Old Bailey was told the couple were "significant figures" in Nigerian society and had a "significant degree of wealth".
Ike Ekweremadu was a senior senator in the Nigerian Parliament, it was said.
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But prosecutor Hugh Davies KC said: "There are, however, certain things that money and status cannot guarantee in any family and they include good health."
Jurors heard Sonia's kidney condition was "deteriorating" and she needed a transplant to cure her.
The trio allegedly hatched a plan to bring a poor street trader from Nigeria to the UK to harvest his organ.
They found a donor who was making a few pounds a day selling telephone parts from a cart in public markets, it was said.
Jurors heard the family then transported him to London in February 2022 with an agreement to pay up to £7,000 and a promise of a better life.
Once here, the man was coached to give false answers to doctors at the Royal Free Hospital - including claiming Sonia was his cousin.
But the court was told he had a "limited understanding" of why he was visiting the hospital and was "relieved" when told the procedure would not go ahead.
The Ekweremadus deny conspiring to arrange or facilitate the travel of the young man with a view to exploitation between August 1, 2021, and May 5, 2022.
Their alleged medical "middleman" Dr Obinna Obeta denies the same charge.
The trial continues.
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