He Was Told It Was a Job. It Was His Kidney They Wanted.

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They were speaking about sort of targeting young, poor, vulnerable men for their organs. I'm Phoebe Judge, and today I'm talking with journalist Alexis Okeowo. She recently wrote a piece for The Guardian titled The Body Snatchers, about organ trafficking and a Nigerian politician who's now behind bars in the UK. Thanks very much for being here. Thanks for having me. So, let's just start. With you telling me a little bit about the family at the center of this story, the Karamadu family, who are they? Yeah, the Karamadus are and have been a well-known, well-regarded family in Nigeria. The father, Ike, is a famous, was a famous politician. He was a long-running senator. His family was also very wealthy. Like many Nigerian politicians, he had homes in Nigeria, the UK. The UAE. And his children grew up in that lifestyle. They went to boarding schools in the UK and lived a very nice life. And his daughter, Sonia, as you say, had spent a large portion of her life in the UK going to boarding schools. When did the family learn that Sonia was sick? So, Sonia had graduated from university. And she had been in the UK and then had gone on to start a master's degree. And early on in that time, she began to feel sick. She would have fainting spells. And so, her family took her to the doctors. And they were told that she has a really severe form of kidney disease. And after a certain amount of evaluations, they were told that she would either have to start dialysis or have an immediate kidney transplant. And she was told that she would have to have an immediate kidney transplant. And so, she started dialysis. But dialysis is something that really can only be done for so long. The ultimate goal was that Sonia would need a new kidney. And what is the organ transplant system like in the UK? Is there a list like there is here in the US where you get priority depending on the severity, your age? Yes, it's similar. But also like the US, there's a long, often a long time to get it. Especially because there is a lot of demand for not that much supply. And the thing is, is that Sonia actually, you know, is Nigerian. You know, she was in the UK for schooling. But in Nigeria, the kidney transplant process was basically non-existent. And so, you know, there was someone I talked to who said basically if you get kidney disease in Nigeria, which is quite prevalent in the country actually, it's a death sentence. Because there's no. There's no real sort of transplant, you know, registry sort of system. Most Nigerians who get transplants have to do them abroad. How long did Sonia anticipate that she would be waiting for a new kidney in the UK? Well, I'm not sure, you know, how long she thought she'd wait. But I know that the typical waiting period is around three years, I would say, from what I've read. But I know because of the severity of her disease, her family wanted a solution right away. Because you just don't know what will happen in those years of waiting. Rather than waiting on the list, Sonia's family decided to take a different path. What did they decide to do? They decided to make a transplant happen as soon as possible. And to do that, they sought out someone they knew who had also gotten a transplant. Who was this man that they reached out to? So the man they reached out to, so I'll say, so Ike, the senator, he was very close with his brother named Diwe, who's a doctor, a Nigerian doctor. And once, and Diwe had been involved in getting Sonia to the doctors in the UK, finding out her diagnosis. And so once they learned they needed a transplant, Diwe then reached out to his old medical school classmate, a guy named Obamacare. Obamacare is a Nigerian doctor who had kidney disease, but then the year before had gotten a successful kidney transplant at a hospital in the UK called the Royal Free and seemed to be doing better. So Diwe reached out to him and said, how did you do that? Where did Obamacare get his kidney from? So Obamacare had reached out. He reached out to, and we're still not sure how he found this man, but he had reached out to a young man who worked in a market in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria, and had reached out to him with a proposition, basically saying that if this young man gave him his kidney, he would get him to the UK, possibly pay him and, you know, introduce him to a new life. So they're connected with Obamacare, and what does he offer to do for them? So Obamacare says, sure, I'll help for a fee. I'll help you find another young man, like the man who gave me my kidney. How does he go about finding this kidney? So the young man who he reached out to, who I'll call Ben, worked in a market in Lagos, as I said before. Or going to the UK to give his kidney. And while he had worked in that market in Lagos, he had friends, you know, other sellers. And one of those friends was a really young man named Daniel, or who I'm calling Daniel. And, you know, Daniel was 21 years old, had come from a village in southern Nigeria, come to work in the market, was selling cell phone accessories in a wheelbarrow. You know, was a sweet guy who looked, you know, like a teenager. And Ben reached out to his old friend, Daniel, and said, hey, I have an opportunity for you. You know, I'm in the UK. Ben had sent Daniel and some of their friends videos of him dancing, having fun in London. And he says, hey, are you interested? Do you want to come to London too? What did he offer him in, I mean, what was, to get a job? Or did he mention come here for a kidney transplant? No, he basically implied that it was a job. And so Daniel said, sure, of course, I'm interested. And then the next thing was that Daniel heard from Obina. And Obina said, Obina kept it pretty vague. He said that he had an opportunity for him, again, implying that it was a job, that he would be like Ben. And he said, you just have to do a couple of things before we can get you the visa. And those things were medical tests. And so for the next, I don't know, I would say a couple of weeks, Daniel would travel to Abuja, the capital, to get various blood tests, medical tests, under the guise of him thinking this was all for his visa to go to the UK. Once he gets to England, he gets to the UK. Once he gets the visa, gets to England, what happens? So he arrives, and he meets for the first time Obina face to face. He's taken to Obina's house, where Obina lives with his wife and his children. His passport is taken away. He's given a spot to sleep in the living room. He starts doing chores around the house. And he's not really sure what's going on. He just knows it isn't. He doesn't feel right, but he's still thinking, okay, let me see where this goes. You know, Ben told me that this is an opportunity, so I'm going to see what happens. A few days later, he and Obina go to have lunch with Sonia and Sonia's mother, Beatrice. But he doesn't know who they are. They just have lunch. They take a photo. And then shortly after that, Daniel is taken to the hospital. for his first interview. view about the kidney transplant. So has anyone at this point said to him, you're actually here for, when was kidney, the word kidney first mentioned to Daniel? It's kind of remarkable how long it took, according to Daniel, for the word kidney to be mentioned, because he was in Nigeria. He took all these medical tests. We later discovered that on his visa application, it was written that, hi, my name is so-and-so. I'm going to the UK to donate a kidney to so-and-so. But he didn't know that, because he didn't compile his own visa application. Then he gets to Obina's house. He's staying there. Again, nothing is being said, according to him. Then he actually has lunch with Sonia and her mother and Obina. And he says later in testimony that Sonia and her mother seemed scared, but there was still no direct conversation about what was happening. They took a photo, which we later learned was going to be used as proof that they somehow had a pre-existing relationship. But he was just sort of, you know, he was going along. He was really a village boy, you know, in this big city, just sort of along for the ride. And then finally we get to the hospital. And this is the time of his first interview. With the doctor who was in charge of Sonia's case at the Royal Free Hospital. And he goes in, and they've assigned him an interpreter, who is this Nigerian secretary at the hospital. And we later learned that Nigerian secretary is also working with Obina, and Obina and the Akeramadus, to coach Daniel on what to say. But again, this is all being done without Daniel knowing what's happening. So basically, during this first interview, when the doctor starts talking about the transplant, is when Daniel's like, wait, what the hell's going, what's going on? And he later says he started getting scared. He almost started crying. He was like, wait, wait, wait, I don't know anything about this. And the doctor later said, oh, well, you know, it seemed this was the first time he had ever heard about the transplant. And he started trying to calm him down, saying, no, like, don't worry. We're not going to do anything you don't want to do. After that first interview, Daniel speaks with Obina, asks, you know, how did it go? And Daniel, I assume, says, what are you talking, why am I here? What, you know, I never, and what does Obina say to him? Yes, Obina says, well, listen, we actually brought you here for this kidney transplant. And if you go through with it, I'll pay you this nominal amount of money, you know, but just do it and you'll get paid. But now Daniel has said to the hospital and during that first interview, I don't know what I'm here. I don't, this is the first I'm hearing of this. So the hospital is aware, maybe that something's going on. A few weeks later, the hospital kind of makes a deciding factor and says, no, this is, there's something fishy. This is coercion. We're not, we're not going to let this transplant happen. But Daniel is still in the UK living with Obina. Exactly. You know, because after that first interview, I don't know if it was delusion or what, but the Akiramadus and Obina still thought maybe they could salvage this. So they were keeping Daniel around because there was actually a second interview. But, you know, as I learned, even before that second interview, the first doctor had told his colleagues, you know, this is just a formality. This isn't going to happen. You know, he's just, you know, this, he seems like he's being coerced. So once the Royal Free Hospital says this is not happening, Daniel's still at Obina's house and someone comes to examine him there and says, you're still going to have a transplant, but we'll go back to Nigeria. If we can't get it done here, we'll just get it done in Nigeria. Yes. So right after they received the decision that the transplant won't be happening at the Royal Free Hospital in London, Obina has a doctor friend and someone else come over and examine Daniel. I think they're trying to figure out, is there something physically wrong? Because they weren't, I'm not sure if they were really told why the transplant is not happening. So they wanted to examine him to see if he was still fit to be, considered elsewhere as a donor. So as they were doing that, you know, Daniel later said, I was, you know, I was shocked. I was like, I thought this was over. Now they're still trying to see if I could be suitable. And they're talking about doing it in Nigeria where some transplants do happen. And then after that examination, Obina says to Daniel, here's a return ticket. You're going to go back to Nigeria on this date and we'll see what happens. And, you know, Daniel's frightened. He's thinking, I can't go back. And I'm sure he's thinking that for various reasons. A, you know, I can't go through with a transplant. And also, he had sold all of his business, you know, in Lagos. He had left his life there. And so he was, you know, feeling confused and upset over these two things. He goes to the airport to get on the flight back. And what happens? He goes back with a family friend of Obina's who escorts him to the airport. And when there, he realizes he can't go. So he flees. He leaves the airport. He only has, you know, less than 30 pounds in cash, a phone, some AirPods. He walks for a couple of days. He's sleeping outside. He runs into a friendly stranger. He's a very friendly stranger on the street who lets him come into his flat and take a hot shower and have some food. And then he eventually ends up at the police station. We'll be right back. To listen without ads, join Criminal Plus at patreon.com slash criminal. You might not always notice when therapy is working, but it can show up in habit changes or in the way you talk to yourself. That's what growing feels like. And growth therapy makes those moments of growth possible. They connect you with thousands of independent, licensed therapists across the U.S., offering both virtual and in-person sessions, nights and weekends. You can search by what matters, like insurance, specialty, identity, or availability. And you can get started in as little as two minutes. Two days. Sessions average $21 with insurance, and some pay as little as zero, depending on their plan. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. See if you could pay as little as zero for therapy in seconds at growtherapy.com slash criminal. That's growtherapy.com slash criminal. Growtherapy.com slash criminal. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. Your favorite fall flavors are back at Starbucks. The one and only pumpkin spice latte and the deliciously smooth iced pecan crunch latte have arrived and are ready to sip all season long. Or find a new favorite, like the new iced banana bread latte that tastes just like fall in a cup. You can find your favorite taste of fall only at Starbucks. When Daniel goes to the police in London, what does he tell them? He tells them, um, He tells them he's only 15, which he did look 15. He tells them that, um, you know, he's homeless, that he had been brought to the UK, um, by someone, you know, who's abandoned him. He basically tells them this fictional story because he was afraid of being sent back to Nigeria. And so he wanted to paint himself as this vulnerable kid who needed help, which in a sense he was. Um, you know, they later get the news. They get the real story out of him, but they then place him in protective custody, um, because his life really was a threat from, um, the people who had brought him to the UK and, and from the Akeramadus, who have a lot of power and influence. In the meantime, the Akeramadus have given up on Daniel for now, or this is probably not going to happen. And, and they, they are starting to make new plans. And the new plan is we'll find. At this point, the Akeramadus are desperate because this was supposed to be a sure thing. I mean, just the year prior, Obina had gotten his transplant at the same hospital with someone who was not related to him. And so they were not expecting this to happen at all. And so, yes, they're reaching out to contacts. Who, where else can we go? They're talking to doctors in Turkey, which is actually a very popular spot for. Organ transplants. Um, and they're also searching for new donors. And so at one point. E.K. sends photos of young men to the family group chat, of which Sonia is a member, and says, here are some new potential donors. And Sonia responds and says, oh, I think the light-skinned one looks better than the dark-skinned one. He looks like he won't run away. And, you know, they all laugh about it. And, you know, E.K. is reassuring Sonia, oh, don't worry, you know, we had sort of one misstep, but we'll get this done. And, you know, I mean, obviously I think a lot of people can empathize with the fact that they were worried about their daughter. They wanted to save her life. But there is just such a callousness to the way they were speaking about sort of targeting young, poor, vulnerable men for their organs. And then they're arrested. Tell me about where that happened. So E.K. and his wife, Beatrice, were traveling from Turkey to London. They started in Nigeria, stopped off in Turkey. I can imagine to sort of talk about transplant potentials. And then as soon as they landed at Heathrow, they were arrested. They had more than 30,000 pounds in cash on them. And they were, you know, both taken. They were taken into custody. That same day, their daughter was arrested at their U.K. home. What were they charged with? They were charged with conspiracy to, I'm paraphrasing, but conspiracy to commit organ trafficking. And so was Zabina, who was arrested about a month later at his home in the U.K. How big of a deal was this story in Nigeria? I mean, the Karamadu name. E.K.'s a big politician. Was this all over? This was all over because this was almost unprecedented. A Nigerian politician of his stature, of his reputation, being arrested. It just doesn't happen in Nigeria or abroad. It was on the TV news. It was the headlines of newspapers. It was covered social media. It was constantly trending. On every WhatsApp conversation across the diaspora. I actually found out about this story because my parents had been discussing it on their WhatsApp chats with friends in Nigeria. And they were like, "Alexis, have you heard about this senator who was arrested for organ trafficking?" And I hadn't. And, you know, it was shocking. Because you know, it is still, it was the first time that anyone had been arrested in the U.K. for organ trafficking. It still is the only time. And it was a huge deal. All four go on trial in London in 2023 and all pleaded not guilty. What happened at the trial? The trial was very revealing on a lot of different fronts. With E.K. and Beatrice, it was revealing because despite face with all the evidence, they were all pleading not guilty. They were all pleading not guilty. I mean, even during, you know, E.K.'s trial, he was implying that Daniel, you know, even though he was a market trader, he can make a lot of money with that, which is simply not true. You know, he made, you know, such a small pittance of money. And so, yeah, again, there was just a feeling of sort of callousness. Has she gotten a kidney transplant? As far as I can tell, I don't believe she has. You mentioned this earlier, that this is not a story in a vacuum, that this happens all the time, organ trafficking. How common is it? Well, based on estimates, I mean, it's believed to be happening in over 50 countries at least. And that at least 10 percent, but probably more, of transplants are taking place, you know, through tourism, through purification. People, A, getting transplants elsewhere, but then also potentially paying people. You know, one thing that wasn't in the story that I was looking into was that in Nigeria, there is a thriving black market for organs, for kidneys especially, where sort of desperate people are not necessarily, you know, being tricked into it, but are selling their kidneys. And Nigeria has sort of attempted to charge some people, doctors, hospital administrators, with allowing these transplants to take place, but the trials never really go anywhere. And so it's really rampant. And then, you know, obviously in the U.K. as well, this is still the only organ trafficking case when we know that so many more transplants must be taking place there in a similar vein. And so, you know. I think a lot of it is to do with the fact that the people who are getting these transplants have the money, have the influence and the power not to be prosecuted for it. You can read Alexis' full piece about this story for The Guardian at the link in our show notes. Alexis, thank you very much. Thank you. That's journalist Alexis Okeowo. All of these conversations that we release on Tuesdays are also available to watch on our YouTube channel. At youtube.com slash criminal podcast. While you're there, you can also check out the back catalog of our regular criminal episodes. Find clips of me and criminal co-creator Lauren Spohr making our other show, Please Continue, and more. The link is in our show notes. I'm Phoebe Judge. Thanks for listening. Tammy regularly hauls stuff to her kids at college. That's why she shops at BJ's Wholesale Club, saving up to 25% off grocery store prices. Beef jerky. Microwave meals. Laundry pods. Even they can't screw up. Have you met my kids? And with BJ's gas, she gets there for less. They call me the road warrior. This is your home, road warrior mom. Home of the Save. Join for just $20 at BJ's.com slash mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. Limited time offer. New members only. BJ's. Home of the Save.