Organ Harvesting: Court to Rule in Ukpo’s Application Dec. 5

A Federal High Court in Abuja has set Dec. 5 for a ruling on an application filed by David Ukpo, the kidney donor, asking the court to overturn orders issued on July 1 and 6 that granted Senator Ike Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President, and his wife, Beatrice, access to his biodata.

After counsel for the parties in the suit adopted their processes and presented their arguments, Justice Inyang Ekwo set the date.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ukpo filed a motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/984/202, urging the court to set aside the orders directing some government agencies and banks to release his biodata to Ekweremadu and his wife.

Ukpo, who joined the Ekweremadus as applicants/respondents in the motion, also named the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) (1st respondent) and four others as applicants/respondents in the application.

The Comptroller General (C-G), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Stanbic-IBTC Bank, United Bank of Africa (UBA), and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc were also named as respondents in the motion, but the 5th respondent was later dropped from the charge.

Ukpo, who is currently in the United Kingdom (UK) in connection with the alleged organ harvesting charge against the Ekweremadus, claimed that granting the couple’s request violated his fundamental right to privacy, which is guaranteed by Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

However, in a counter-affidavit deposed to by Bright Ekweremadu, the ex-deputy senate President’s immediate younger brother, the applicants claimed that Ukpo was not entitled to the reliefs sought because the law does not allow it.

Their counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, filed the counter-affidavit on September 8.

Bright argued in a 20-point argument that even though the court issued its decision on July 1, Ukpo’s right to a fair hearing was not violated.

He stated that the documents released by the agencies and banks in response to court orders had been transmitted to the UK and “tendered at the Uxbridge Magistrate Court and at the Central Criminal Court in the UK and have subsequently formed part of the courts’ record.”

At the resumption of the hearing on Tuesday, Eyitayo Falogun, SAN, who represented Ekweremadus, adopted his applications and urged the court to reject Ukpo’s request.

He stated that he was aware that the motion was initiated on Ukpo’s behalf by a coalition of civil society organizations under the auspices of the Edo Civil Society Organisation (EDOSCO).

Falogun, who called the court’s attention to Upko’s motion, called EDOSCO a “messy interloper.”

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