By Akinwale Kasali
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has appealed to the Government of the United Kingdom to temper justice with mercy in the case of a former Deputy President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Dr Beatrice Ekweremadu, who were, on March 24, 2023, convicted by a UK Court on charges bordering on human trafficking and organ harvesting.
The Ekweremadus were arrested in June, 2022, at the Heathrow Airport, London, on arrival from Turkey. They were detained and arraigned within 48 hours on allegations of illegal human trafficking and organ harvesting.
They were accused of trafficking a 21 year old to London with the aim of harvesting his kidney for a transplant for their daughter, Sonia, 25, who is suffering from a severe Kidney disease, and needs a transplant.
While it is not illegal to transplant Kidneys, the Court said it must be free, and with the total consent of the donor. In the case of the Ekweremadus, the Court said the would-have-been donor was not aware of why he was taken to London but was promised the sum of eight thousand pounds and a new life in London. When he was rejected by the hospital where he was taken to over his young age, and for not being aware of what it was all about, the 21 year old alleged the attitude of those in whose house he was changed towards him, and they began to maltreatment him.
He, also, said he was threatened that he would be taken back to Nigeria, and would be made to donate a kidney. Not able to bear the alleged ill-treatment, he ran away, lived in the streets for three days, and walked into a Police Station to tell his story.
Since that June of 2022, Senator Ekweremadu has been in prison custody. His wife was given bail after a few weeks in custody. But on conviction on March 24, 2023 by a jury, her bail was revoked and she joined her husband in prison, along with an intermediary doctor of Nigerian descent, Dr Obeta. They will be sentenced on May 4, 2023.
President Obasanjo in his letter of appeal addressed to: The Chief Clerk, The Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, London, EC4M, 7EH, which he personally signed, appealed for mercy on behalf of the Ekweremadus.
While he strongly condemned the behaviour of the Ekweremadus in the untidy business, he hinged his appeal on a couple of point.
- The warm relationship between Nigeria and the UK.
- Senator Ekweremadu’s position as one of the distinguished Senators in the Nigerian Senate.
- His daughter, Sonia, whose life is in danger because of her health crisis.
Obasanjo asked the Government of the UK to temper justice with mercy.
The letter reads in part:
“Mr. Chief Clerk,
“I am very much aware of the current travails and conviction of Ike Ekweremadu and his wife in the United Kingdom resulting from their being charged with conspiring to arrange the travel of a 21-year old from Nigeria to the UK in order to harvest organs for their daughter. I do realise the implications of their action and I dare say, it is unpleasant and condemnable and can’t be tolerated in any sane or civilized society.
“However, it is my fervent desire for the very warm relations between the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Nigeria; for his position as one of the distinguished Senators in the Nigerian Parliament, and also for the sake of their daughter in question whose current health condition is in danger and requires an urgent medical attention, you will use your good offices to intervene and appeal to the court and the government of the United Kingdom to be magnanimous enough to temper justice with mercy and let punishment that may have to come take their good character and parental instinct and care into consideration.
“I do hope Mr. and Mrs. Ekweremadu have learnt from this distressing experience of theirs to guide their future actions or inactions so they will continue to be outstanding members of their community and will continue to contribute fully to the good of the society in particular and the nation in general.”
Hereunder, the full text of Obasanjo’s letter.
The Letter: Ekweremadu Ike_an appeal by OBJ for clemency from UK_April 2023
For the records, neither the Federal Government not the Nigeria’s National Assembly, where Senator Ekweremadu had served for about 24 years, has said a word since his conviction.
