On Friday, a UK court sentenced Ike Ekweremadu, a former deputy senate president, to nine years and eight months in prison for conspiring to harvest a man's kidney to help his sick daughter. Additionally, Ekweremadu's wife, Beatrice, received a sentence of four years and six months, and Obinna Obeta, a medical doctor, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the same crime.

The group consisting of Ekweremadu, Beatrice, and Obeta were found guilty of conspiring to facilitate the travel of a young Nigerian man named David Nwamini to the UK, with the intention of exploiting him for his kidney. The kidney was intended for Ekweremadu's daughter, Sonia, who was in need of an organ transplant.

After a six-week trial, they were convicted, and their sentencing was expected to take place today at the Old Bailey, which is London's Central Criminal Court.

During the trial, the prosecutor, Hugh Davies, informed the jury that Ekweremadu's actions demonstrated a sense of "entitlement, dishonesty, and hypocrisy."

Detective Inspector Esther Richardson, who leads the Metropolitan Police's Modern Slavery and Exploitation Command, described the verdict as a "landmark conviction" and expressed gratitude to the victim for their "bravery" in speaking out.

Throughout the lengthy trial, the 21-year-old victim from Lagos, whose identity cannot be disclosed due to legal reasons, testified that the Ekweremadus had transported him to the UK with the intention of extracting his kidney for Sonia's use. Sonia suffers from a renal condition and is dependent on dialysis. The victim was promised payment of up to £7,000 ($8,800) in exchange for his organ.

According to the court proceedings, the victim claimed that he was recruited by a doctor who worked for the politician and was under the impression that he was coming to the UK for employment. It was only when he arrived at the Royal Free Hospital in London last year that he discovered he was being used for a kidney transplant.

Upon learning that he would not be a suitable donor after preliminary tests, the victim fled and slept on the streets for three days. Eventually, he walked into a police station in May of last year, seeking assistance to save his life.