I feel guilty my parents are jailed because of me — Sonia Ekweremadu

Sonia, daughter of a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has expressed sadness and guilt over the sentencing of her parents in an organ-harvesting plot suit in the United Kingdom on Friday.

The PUNCH reports that a United Kingdom court on Friday sentenced Ekweremadu to a total of nine years and eight months imprisonment, while his wife, Beatrice, was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment for plotting to harvest a man’s kidney.

The third accomplice, a medical doctor, Dr Obinna Obeta, was jailed 10 years. Ekweremadu, 60, and his wife Beatrice, 56, wanted a new kidney for their 25-year-old daughter Sonia.

In an interview with BBC after the court judgement on Friday, Sonia said she felt guilty about the whole situation.

“I don’t think it will ever be the same again. And obviously, I feel guilty because I feel like all these have happened because of me,” she said, while holding back tears.

On how her parents have handled their current reality, the 25-year-old who admitted that she can’t speak about what they truly feel, said they are “quite calm”.

“They are quite calm, surprisingly. But I can’t really speak about what they are feeling. This is just from an outside perspective of me seeing them. They are okay, they are just neutral,” Sonia said.

On what she has learnt over the whole saga, Sonia said, “Life is just some dynamic. Like you’re one day in your house chilling and the next day your whole life is turned around, upside down.”

Speaking further on the court judgement, she added, “It’s sad. It’s been really hard to wrap my head around it. I understand the conviction. Personally, I disagree with it; however, that’s from a very biased perspective as their daughter, and I would obviously back my parents.

“However, the law has taken its course, and we just have to now move forward as a family.”

Asked about what she would be doing next, Sonia said, “My main focus is to try to help, specifically people with kidney conditions. This is just to show them they don’t need to be scared.

“I will continue to support my parents and siblings as well.”