By Yemi Oyeyemi, Abuja.
Detained former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, on Tuesday asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss the suit by alleged organ harvest victim, David Ukpo, seeking to stop the release of his bio-data to a London Court.
Ekweremadu said in a counter affidavit against the suit that Ukpo has no basis to entertain any fear in the release of his visa application information and his bank account opening package except if he had lied on his real age.
In the counter affidavit deposed to by Bright Ekweremadu, immediate younger brother of the detained senator in London, Ekweremadu denied the allegations that he demanded for Ukpo’s bio-data.
Rather, the deponent averred that what the Federal High Court ordered to be released to the London Court was Ukpo’s bank account opening package and the information supplied in his visa application request.
At any rate, Ekweremadu revealed that based on July 1, 2022 order of the court, the required documents have since been transmitted to two different courts in the United Kingdom.
The senator averred that it is too late in the day for Ukpo to seek reversal of a valid order that had been executed to determine his real age only.
He, therefore, prayed the court to dismiss the suit for being frivolous, abuse of court, and lacking in merit having been overtaken by event.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, Ukpo’s lawyer, Mr Ojonugwa Oguche, prayed the court to adjourn the matter for him to react to the counter-affidavit.
The request was granted and the matter fixed for September 20 for hearing by Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo.
Ekweremadu was represented by s Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, Mr Eyitayo Fatigun.
Ukpo, the victim of the alleged organ harvesting scandal involving Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, had on August 30 asked the Court to set aside its July 1 order for the release of his bio-data for use in a London court in Ekweremadu’s trial.
Ukpo had, while faulting proceedings of the court that led to the issuance of the order, claimed that his fundamental rights to fair hearing and personal privacy had been grossly breached.
His grouse was that neither he nor the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, as Chief Law Officer of the Federation, was made a party in the suit.
The application for the release of bank account opening package was argued by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo SAN and was granted by Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo, prompting the Attorney General of the Federation AGF to transmit the records to the London Court in compliance with order of the Nigerian court.