Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has written to the UK court that convicted former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, of organ trafficking.
In a letter to the Chief Clerk of the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, in London, the former President requested that the Clerk intervene and ensure that the UK government tempered justice with mercy in the matter.
According to reports, Ekweremadu faces a 10-year prison sentence under the United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 after a London court found him and his wife guilty of organ trafficking.
Following Mr Justice Johnson’s guilty verdicts, Ekweremadu and his wife were remanded in custody.
custody and will be sentenced on May 5.
The Ekweremadus were arrested and were in the custody of UK authorities after the young man complained about their alleged plans to harvest his organ.
However, in a letter dated April 3, 2023, Obasanjo stated that the Ekweremadus had learned their lesson from the ordeal and urged the court and the UK government to show mercy.
“Mr. Chief Clerk, I am very much aware of the current travails and conviction of Ike Ekweremadu and his wife in the United Kingdom as a result of their being charged with conspiring to arrange the travel of a 21-year-old Nigerian to the UK in order to harvest organs for their daughter,” the letter read in part.
“I am aware of the implications.”
I dare to say that their action is unpleasant and condemnable, and it cannot be tolerated in any sane or civilised society.
“However, it is my fervent wish for 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 jeopardy and requires urgent medical attention, that 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 tem.”
“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.”
admin
