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Update : Ekweremadu, accused of plotting to exploit a man for his kidney, ” I was scammed by doctors” he replied in court
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Embattled former deputy Senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, accused of plotting to exploit a man for his kidney, told a London court that he thought he was being ‘scammed’ by doctors.
Ekweremadu, 60, is accused of conspiring to facilitate the travel of a man to Britain to use him as an organ donor for his sick daughter.
A 21-year-old street trader from Lagos was to be paid up to £7,000 in exchange for a kidney, the Old Bailey court heard.
He was promised opportunities in the UK for helping Ekweremadu’s daughter.
Mr Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, 56, daughter Sonia, 25, and medical ‘middleman’, Dr Obinna Obeta, all deny the same charge.
The street trader was falsely presented as Sonia’s cousin in a failed bid to persuade medics at the Royal Free Hospital in London to carry out the £80,000 private procedure, the court was told.
Giving evidence on Tuesday, Ekweremadu, who has an address in Willesden Green, north-west London, was asked about an invoice for £8,000 he received via his brother, Diwe, on February 8, 2022.
In his message, Diwe wrote he had received a ‘huge invoice’ from a consultant doctor.
He wrote: “It looks like they’re all out to exploit people’s unfortunate situation,” the court heard.
The defendant told jurors his view was that he was being ‘scammed’.
Defence barrister Martin Hicks KC asked: “Why not at this stage say we are being scammed, Dr Obeta, end of, stop?”
Ekweremadu replied: “My daughter’s life was on the line, so if we stop we will be puttingher life in danger. So, we just keep moving.
“Everybody was obviously taking advantage of my daughter’s ill health.”
The defendant was also asked about an unsigned affidavit dated 19 January 2022 which was recovered from Dr Obeta’s home in Southwark, south London, which falsely stated that the proposed donor was Sonia’s cousin.
Ekweremadu told jurors: “I felt embarrassed because that’s not true and I told my daughter to ignore the document.”
He added: “I told her not to sign it… If you sign an affidavit you have to tell the truth.”
Asked who created the document, the defendant said: “I have no idea.”
Ekweremadu added his family had written to a court in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, to find the origin of the affidavit.
Mr Hicks told the court: “It’s a forgery.”Mr Ekweremadu agreed.The trial continues.
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Breaking : Tinubu Launches Five-Year Defence Plan to Crush Insurgency, Restore Security
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…Military eliminates over 15,000 terrorists in 3 years
…130,000 Boko Haram fighters and dependents surrender
The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC PCC) has announced that President Bola Tinubu has finalised a comprehensive Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan to end Nigeria’s 17-year battle against insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping.
The development was contained in a statement on Sunday in Abuja by the spokesperson for the APC PCC, Dele Alake.
The campaign council stated that the new framework is designed to overhaul the nation’s security architecture by aligning defence priorities, capability development, and expenditure with current and emerging threats.
According to Alake, the administration’s military operations over the past three years have yielded significant results, including the neutralisation of over 15,000 Boko Haram terrorists and bandits, alongside the surrender of more than 130,000 insurgents and their dependents through the government’s rehabilitation programme, Operation Safe Corridor.
“President Bola Tinubu is determined to end the 17-year scourge of insecurity ravaging parts of Nigeria through a comprehensive Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan designed to strengthen the country’s security architecture, improve military effectiveness, and ensure a coordinated response to emerging threats,” Alake stated.
He explained that the initiative shifts the security apparatus toward a “more coordinated, intelligence-led, technology-enabled, and prevention-oriented system,” combining sustained kinetic military offensives with non-kinetic interventions.
Detailing the structural reforms undertaken to boost troop availability and rapid response, the APC PCC spokesperson said President Tinubu has created four new Nigerian Army divisions and restructured existing military formations to decentralise operations.
To accelerate recruitment, the President also approved establishing two new Army depots in Osogbo, Osun State, and Amasiri-Edda, Ebonyi State. Each facility can train 6,000 recruits simultaneously, adding a combined training capacity of 12,000 soldiers.
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Alake noted that the Osogbo depot is already operational, with 5,210 recruits currently undergoing training.
The statement also said the President has authorised a major recruitment drive across the security forces, approving the enlistment of an additional 28,000 soldiers into the Army and 50,000 new officers into the Nigeria Police Force to bolster internal security, improve policing capacity, and strengthen the country’s response to criminal activities.
On personnel welfare, Alake highlighted ongoing investments in military accommodation and operational infrastructure, citing the construction of a 700-unit military barracks in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
“These measures reflect the administration’s determination to address manpower and infrastructure gaps, improve the capacity of security agencies, and ensure personnel are adequately trained, equipped, and deployed to areas facing security challenges,” the statement read.
On defence spending and combat readiness, Alake said the Five-Year Strategic Defence Operations Plan ensures clearly identified threats and national priorities guide security sector investments.
He added that the strategic framework is designed to close critical capability gaps, optimise available military resources, and eliminate unnecessary expenditure and waste across the defence sector.
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Politics Should Be About Issues, Not Violence – Let’s Protect Our Democracy, Says Tinubu
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I have followed recent reports of violence accompanying political events in different parts of the country.
Every form of violence stands condemned. Violence should never have a place in our political campaigns as we move toward the 2027 general elections.
Our campaigns should be about issues, a contestation of ideas that promote the welfare of our people and the progress of our country.
As the leader of this country, I commit myself to a peaceful, free, and fair election, and I urge political leaders and supporters across party lines to conduct themselves responsibly.
I have said that being in different political parties or pursuing different ambitions does not make us enemies.
As Nigerians, we are members of the same household living in different rooms. Therefore, our politics must elevate human conditions and focus on national progress and development.
I want to reiterate my previous directive to the security agencies: be strict and firm against anyone who seeks to test our resolve and will to preserve public order.
Our administration is committed to an orderly and peaceful election, and all political parties and candidates should be protected and free to campaign anywhere in the country without molestation or fear for their safety.
We shall not tolerate any irresponsible conduct by politicians and their supporters.
Security agencies are therefore authorised to confront thuggery and other anti-social and anti-democratic activities with full force.
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Update : THE COURAGE TO REFORM” BOOK TO BE UNVEILED DECEMBER 1 ,
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The Central Planning Committee for the official unveiling of the book, The Courage to Reform: Architecture of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Beyond 2027 — Statecraft, Vision for National Renewal, has announced Tuesday, December 1, 2026, as the new date for the highly anticipated ceremony.
The unveiling, which was initially scheduled for Thursday, November 5, 2026, at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, was earlier postponed following adjustments to the official schedule of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, who is the Special Guest of Honour at the occasion.
HON. IMAAN SULAIMAN-IBRAHIM
Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development
Chairperson, Central Planning Committee
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