According to a statement, the government said it disagreed with the London Metropolitan Police’s claim that David is a minor.
More reactions have trailed the allegation of organ harvesting against former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, who are currently in detention in the United Kingdom (UK).
The reactions include those by the Ebonyi State government and former Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson.
They asked that the couple be deemed innocent till proven guilty by Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court in London.
The court had denied them bail on Thursday after the accused were charged by London Metropolitan Police with offences under modern slavery legislation.
The court will on July 7 hear their pleas after an advisory by the Attorney General on issues of jurisdiction.
In two separate statements yesterday quoted by Nation, the Ebonyi State government confirmed that the man in the centre of the kidney donation saga, David Nwamini Ukpo, was an indigene of the state.
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The state government added that it had reached out to the Nwanmini family for a meeting to be held tomorrow on the saga.
The statements were issued by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Kenneth Ugbala and Information Commissioner Uchenna Orji.
Ugbala said the government had noted a lot of distortions in social media and had to step into the matter to present the facts.
The SSG noted that from preliminary investigation, David, who is from Izzi Local Government Area, was living with his younger brother in Ikotun, Lagos State.
According to him, the government disagreed with the London Metropolitan Police’s claim that David is a minor.
He said: “From the records on David’s passport and testimony of Ebonyians in Lagos, preliminary investigation suggests that David is an adult who has a fundamental right to make decisions concerning himself.
“We request the family to come forward for a meeting with Ebonyi State government on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, in Abakaliki at the Government House to give us useful information to resolve this problem.
“We believe that Senator Ike Ekweremadu has not been found guilty as the investigation is not yet concluded.”
In his statement, Orji said the government stood with the embattled senator “at this trial moment and hopes that the truth and nothing but the truth shall guide the outcome of the matter”.
He added: “The state government is reaching out to the family of David Okemini Ukpo from Ebonyi State, whose information to the Metropolitan Authority of UK orchestrated the criminal charge ‘incidented’ against the distinguished senator and his wife”.
Also, Dickson said he believed that Ekweremadu cannot traffic an underage child for the purpose of organ harvesting.
The former governor, who represents Bayelsa West in the Senate, said his thoughts and prayers were with the Ekweremadus.
“I am sure from the beginning when this story broke that the Ekweremadu I know could not have taken an underage and underprivileged young man, smuggle him out to harvest organs for whatever purpose.
“As parents or even as human beings, we all can understand the emotions and the commitments shown by caring parents towards the recovery of their sick daughter,” Dickson added.
David had in a Facebook post on Saturday claimed that he was lured from Nigeria to London for the harvesting of his kidney without his consent.
He also claimed that he was promised a job, but while in London he got to know about organ harvesting through a physician.