There may be less trouble for the detained former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekwerendu following the clarification by the Nigeria Immigration Service that the organ donor for which the Senator and his wife were arrested, David Ukpo Nwamina, is a 22-year-old and not a minor.

Both Ekweremadu and wife, Beatrice Nwanneka, was arrested by UK police for allegedly conspiring to traffic a child to Nigeria for the purpose of harvesting his organ.

Metropolitan police, in a statement, alleged that the Ekweremadus conspired to arrange and facilitate the travel of another person with a view to exploiting him through organ harvesting.

But in a statement issued by the Comptroller General of the Service, Isha Idris, the organ donor is no a child as claimed by the UK police because he applied for UK travel document with a birth certificate showing his date of birth as 12 October, 2000.

The information on his birth certificate issued by the National Population Commission, NPC, according to the NIS, was corroborated by National Identity Number, NIN.

The Service said contrary to the misinformation going around on social media, due process was followed in the issuance of the passport.

Idris said Nwanini applied for his international passport which was issued after thorough checks by the passport issuing agency.

The statement reads in part: “The attention of the Service has been drawn to the trending issue in connection with an alleged case of age falsification on a Nigerian Standard Passport issued by Nigeria Immigration Service to a Nigerian who is alleged to be at the centre of an investigation of the case of “organ harvesting.”

“The Service wishes to set the record straight by informing the general public that the suggestions that it did not properly vet the breeder documents issued by the applicant during his passport application are not only off the mark, but mere fabrications aimed at tarnishing the image of the Service.

“The facts of the matter concerning the case above, therefore, are that the said Mr. David Ukpo Nwamina applied and paid for the enhanced standard passport using the NIS portal after which he approached the Gwagwalada Passport Office, FCT Abuja, on the 2nd November, 2021 for his interview.

“To support his application, Mr. Nwamina presented all the necessary documents required, including his National Population Commission (NPC) issued Birth Certificate, showing 12 October, 2000, as his date of birth; his National Identity Number (NIN) corroborating the date of birth on his birth certificate, issued by NIMC.

“A letter of introduction issued by Ebonyi State Government Liaison Office situated at Maitama District Abuja, and a Guarantor’s form duly signed by one Mr. Uchechukwu Chukwuma Ogbonno.

“In view of the above, the general public may wish to be informed that the date of birth, or any other information for that matter, on any Nigerian passport is printed on the document only after a thorough vetting process that involves both physical and forensic examination of the applicant’s breeder documents. Mr. Nwamina’s case, therefore, was not different.

“While assuring of the Service's commitment towards protecting the integrity of the passport, the Service wishes to cease this opportunity to appeal to the general public to desist from making such unfounded utterances as they are capable of denting the image of the Service.”