Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Friday, entered the witness box to begin giving his evidence at the ongoing Old Bailey Conspiracy trial involving him, Beatrice, his wife, their daughter, Sonia and Dr Obinna Obeta.
The trial continues tomorrow and Ekweremadu’s evidence will get off the ground. His lawyers expect him to be in the witness box for, at least, three days.
Watched from the public gallery by family and friends, including his two sons, Lloyd and Prince, and long-term friend, the former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Olisa Metuh, Ekweremadu, in jumper on a shirt and jeans, temporarily left his wife and daughter in the dock at 4.10p.m. (UK time) and made the short walk to the witness box, after being called to take his turn by his lawyer, Martin Hicks, KC.
After being sworn in, the Judge informed the jurors that: “Mr. Ekweremadu will stop in about 20 minutes,” as the court normally stops proceedings at 4:30p.m. Turning over to the Senator, the judge told him, “if you need to sit, please sit.” While he was nodding, Hicks responded and said his client had actually “asked me “ to ask for permission to sit due to medical issues. Despite that, Ekweremadu remained on his feet.
His lawyer told him that while it was natural to “look at me” while he asked him questions, the Senator should rather “look at the jury” so they could hear his replies.
However, due to the limited time, Hicks couldn’t go as far as reach the point where he asked questions pertaining to the trial. Despite the evidence not being underway, Justice Johnson told the Senator: “You’re not now able to speak to your lawyer or anyone else since you’ve taken oath.” Ekweremadu responded with “thank you my Lord,” after being asked to return to the dock at 4.24p.m.
But shortly to his being sworn in, Crown Prosecutor, Hugh Davies KC, was rounding off his his cross-examination of Obeta.
Asked why he told Diwe – Senator’s younger brother – that he didn’t want to follow Sonia and David Nwamini to the 12th floor appointment they had with Dr. DuPont at the Royal Free Hospital in March last year. Obeta, who himself had a kidney transplant at the same hospital in July 2021, said: “I didn’t tell Dr. DuPont David was staying with me. ”
When Davies said the reason the doctor didn’t want to show his face was because if they knew Obeta’s own kidney donor, Friday Ogbuchi, found another donor in Nwamini, “it would raise a red flag.”
Obeta disagreed, saying he just didn’t want to accompany Nwamini there, despite being the one who took him to the hospital. When it was suggested that he was “dipping back into the pool of vulnerable donors in Nigeria,” the doctor said: “That’s not true.”
Earlier in the cross-examination, Obeta was asked if he had a database of altruistic donors from which he got his and Sonia from, he gave a vague explanation.
The prosecutor also referenced May 3 2022, when Nwamini was due to return to Nigeria after he had been disapproved since March. About three hours after leaving the doctor’s house for Heathrow Airport , Nwamini sent a message, asking: “Sir, this ticket that you booked for coming back, send it to me.” Obeta replied: “Go to Nigeria first. When you’re coming back on the 9th, you’ll have it.” As we now know, Nwamini didn’t fly back to Nigeria, but went to the police on May 5, to report that he was a 15-year old trafficked to the United Kingdom.
Davies told Obeta, “Just help the jury with this one. David wanted to stay and work in the UK, what was the point of him going back to Nigeria for six days?” something Obeta said N593,000.00 in ticket fare. The doctor gave another vague explanation.
