Senate asks UK Govt to pardon Ekweremadu

The Senate of Nigeria He has petitioned the UK government to pardon his colleague, Ike Ekweremadu, who was found guilty of organ trafficking in that country.

It was a continuation of a motion presented by Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu North) at Wednesday’s plenary.

The appeal comes as a UK court is set to sentence Mr Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice and a Nigerian doctor, Obinna Obetta, on May 5.

They were found guilty of conspiracy to traffic in organs at Westminster High Court in March, an offense which contravenes the Modern Slavery Act.

Mr. Ekweremadu, a former deputy senate president, represents Enugu West Senatorial District in the current Senate.

In June last year, a young Nigerian man was arrested for bringing his organ to the UK to harvest his daughter, Sonia, who was suffering from kidney disease and needed a transplant.

The motion

Mr. Utazi, in his motion, expressed concern that the Senate remained silent on the ordeal Mr. Eweremadu is going through in the UK.

The Senate has appealed to the UK Government to slow down the justice for Mr. Eweremadu considering the relationship between the two countries.

In his statements, the president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, therefore asked the British government to give mild justice to the former deputy president of the Senate, saying that if the sentence is necessary “it should not be too harsh”.

He expressed disappointment at the situation, stating that it was unfortunate that a “great man” and a “great leader” like Ekweremadu would go through such an ordeal.

Mr. Lawan stated that he had sent a letter to the UK government seeking a pardon for the crime of organ trafficking that Mr. Eweremadu was found guilty of.

“It should be noted that this is the first time that Eweremadu will face this crime. We promise to obey the laws inside and outside our country. The British should look at the sentence, it shouldn’t be too harsh,” he said.

Resolution

The Upper House asked the UK government to facilitate lenient sentencing terms for the MP.

However, he remained silent about Mr. Eweremadu’s wife and doctor.

The previous pleas

The House of Representatives in plenary on Tuesday called on the UK government to mete out justice in the case of Mr. Eweremadu.

ALSO READ: Organ Trafficking: Nigerian Parliament Asks UK Judiciary To Show Mercy To Ekweremadu, Wife

Recently, former President Olusegun Obasanjo made an impassioned plea for mercy to the embattled senator. He testified Mr. Ekweremadu’s character as a patriotic, God-fearing, philanthropic and progressive citizen who has served three terms as the deputy president of the Nigetia senate.