In the legal tangle that resulted in the imprisonment of Nigeria’s former Deputy Senate President, Dr. Ike Ekweremadu in a UK prison over a case involving a young Nigerian would-be organ donor, there has been much discussion on the legal implications of the proposed procedure, and what regulatory framework exists in Nigeria and other jurisdictions as regards the practice.
NEWSWIRE Law & Events Magazine’s correspondent at the NBA Secretariat venue of the event in Abuja reports that the session, which was chaired by Olusegun Abimbola, SAN, also had as panelists the likes of Dr. Yemi Johnson; Dr. Damilola Adejumo; Joyce Eseni Esq; and Otunba Laolu Osanyin.
The key component of any organ transaction, the panelists made clear, was the organ donor’s consent, which is an explicit provision in the Medical Practitioners Law. According to Dr. Johnson, what is also needed is the permission of the donor’s family – which, though a tall order in Nigeria, is not such a big issue in other jurisdictions such as the United States and United Kingdom, etc.
Apart from the technical aspects of the aforementioned Ekweremmadu case, the panelists noted, that vital component, i.e. consent, was at issue in that infamous case.
