The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has ordered the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC), to submit the bio-data of David Ukpo, Ike Ekweremadu’s ‘kidney donor’.
The court, on Wednesday, in a ruling delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo, said Ukpo’s bio-data should be released to to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, for it to be transmitted to the court in the United Kingdom that is handling the trial of Ekweremadu and his wife.
David Ukpo had accused the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, of sponsoring his trip abroad for the purpose of harvesting his organ.
It will be recalled that the court had on July 1, ordered NIMC to make available to Ekweremadu’s team of lawyers, the Certified True Copy, CTC, of Ukpo’s bio-data.
However, at the resumed proceedings on Wednesday, NIMC, through its lawyer, Mr Muazu Mohammed, notified the court that the Commission’s rules of engagement do not allow it to give BioData of an individual, to a private citizen.
The Commission contended that it was not served with hearing notice before the said order was issued against it.
Though NIMC initially asked for the order to be set-aside, it later amended its motion and requested that it should rather be directed to submit Ukpo’s bio-data to the AGF instead of to Ekweremadu’s lawyers.
The request was not opposed by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, who represented Ekweremadu and his wife.
Consequently, Justice Ekwo granted the application as prayed.
It will be recalled that the London Metropolitan Police had arrested and charged Ekweremadu and his wife to court for allegedly bringing a child (Ukpo) to the United Kingdom for organ harvesting.
Though the UK police alleged that Ukpo was 15 years old, however, personal details on both his International Passport and Bank Verification Number, BVN, revealed that he is about 21 years old.
Meanwhile, the former deputy Senate President and his wife, who are still in detention in UK, through their lawyers, approached the court in Nigeria, praying it to order NIMC to supply them with CTC of Ukpo’s biodata.
Other Defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/984/2022, were the Comptroller General of the NIS, Stanbic-IBTC Bank, United Bank of Africa, and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc.