Speaking on camera for the first time ever, the family of Daniel, the victim-survivor in the United Kingdom’s first conviction under its Modern Slavery Law, has cried out for help so they can confirm if their son is dead or alive.
They spoke exclusively in the docu-series ‘Daniel vs. Ekweremadu’, which secured exclusive access to Daniel’s father, mother, step-mother, brother, mentor, and best friend in Nigeria. It is written and directed by award-winning filmmaker and TV host, Chude Jideonwo.
“The disappearance of Daniel has been a huge problem in the family,” the step-mother said. “I fell sick because of this, but I had to encourage Daniel’s mum. We don’t know if he is dead or alive. We are begging the UK government; we are also begging the Nigerian government; please let us know how our son is doing.”
She added, “If anything happens to my son or any member of my family, hold Ekweremadu responsible.”
Asked to confirm if indeed the family has not spoken even to his mother, his brother answered, “He has not spoken to the mother. She doesn’t even have a phone.”
According to the film director, “We took their request directly to the British Metropolitan Police and Justice and Care, the non-governmental organization that confirmed they are taking care of Daniel and are in touch with him. Unfortunately, after confirming for the interview, the latter did not show up and has stopped responding to our messages since.
“We found that deeply curious and disrespectful of a family that is heartbroken because they do not know if their son is dead or alive. Daniel is a human being with rights and whose emotional well-being is crucial in addition to his physical safety.
“To be cut off completely from his family and for a request to at least confirm his well-being for his family’s sake to be ignored, despite our agreement to all their conditions, is strange. No one but the police now knows if Daniel – whose identity has been changed according to the authorities – is dead or alive, well or not. In the midst of the United Kingdom’s raucous immigration debate, only the police know the status of this vulnerable Nigerian immigrant.”
Part 2 of the two-part docu-series was released on Friday, 30 August.
‘Daniel’ is the name given by the documentary filmmakers to the victim-survivor of the first conviction under the UK’s Modern Slavery Law, under which Ekweremadu became the first to be sentenced to jail alongside his wife, Beatrice, and a doctor-friend, Obinna Obeta. It follows a directive from the judge of the case for the real name to remain undisclosed.
‘Daniel vs. Ekweremadu’ tells the story of Senator Ekweremadu’s fall from Nigerian deputy senate president to British jailbird upon his conviction for organ harvesting.
Shot in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, the series includes exclusive access to British prosecutors, police, and the family of the survivor -victim, amongst others, in this first-of-its-kind thriller-style documentary from a West African independent studio.
The two-part series is available exclusively on the streaming platform withchude.com. It is produced by the factual film and series studio, Chude Jideonwo Presents.
Link to the official trailer: https://www.instagram.com/p/C-jxonRt3TE/
