I feel guilty my parents were sentenced because of me - Ekweremadu’s daughter Sonia

Sonia Ekweremadu, the daughter of impeached former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, said she feels responsible because her parents were convicted while trying to find a solution to her health problem. Sonia said in an interview with the BBC on Friday.

In March 2023, a UK jury found Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and a doctor, Obinna Obeta, guilty of criminal conspiracy to bring a 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney, read here

Ekweremadu was sentenced to 9.8 years in prison, Beatrice to 4.6 years, and "middleman" medical practitioner Obeta to 10 years.

However, Sonia, who is currently undergoing dialysis and went on trial alongside her parents, was acquitted.

Sonia and her brothers were astonished when the cops knocked on their door and explained their mission. Sonia stated that she disagreed with her parents' conviction.

She said, "I understand the conviction, however, I personally disagree with it. That is from a very bias perspective as their daughter, I will obviously always back my parents.

“However, the law has taken its course, we just need to move on as one family," she added.

She described her disease as Nephrotic syndrome, a kind of kidney disorder that makes the body pass too much protein in urine.

When asked about the man who was supposed to donate his kidney to her, she said she was not involved in the process.

She said, "I didn’t have a hand in it, it was mostly my family that handled everything about my medical side.

"I don’t think things will ever be the same, already I feel guilty, because I feel all these happened because of me," she added.

Ekweremadu Jail term

Ike Ekweremadu was sentenced to 9.8 years in jail but he will spend only 6 years inside jail. His wife was sentenced to 4.6 years in prison but she will spend about 2 years only.