A UK court Friday sentenced Nigeria’s former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, to nine years and eight months in prison.

The court also sentenced Mr Ekweremadu’s wife, Beatrice, to four years and six months in prison while a doctor who allegedly colluded with them, Obinna Obeta, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Super fm news reported that the Nigerian politician and the two others were found guilty of organ trafficking but their sentencing was deferred to today. They allegedly procured a 21-year-old Nigerian and flew him to the UK with the intention to harvest his kidney for their sick daughter.

Mr Ekweremadu, according to the BBC, was described by the judge as the driving force of the crime. His wife received a lesser sentence due to her more limited involvement, the judge ruled. During a televised sentence hearing, the judge, Justice Johnson, said he took into consideration “a 51-page document” pleading for leniency for Mr Ekweremadu and highlighting how he is a person of upstanding character. 

The Nigerian parliament and ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, among others, had pleaded for leniency for the Ekweremadus.