Ukpono Anietie, PH
Reactions have trailed the conviction of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice by the Old Bailey Court in the UK for their involvement in organ trafficking.
One of the persons that have reacted to the news is Adamu Garba, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who questioned why a Nigerian Senator would be required to serve a jail term in a foreign country instead of being extradited to Nigeria to face trial.
The APC Chieftain, who blamed Nigeria’s weak system as aiding the situation, maintained that Ekweremadu serving a jail term in a foreign land translates to an assault on Nigeria’s sovereignty and laws.
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He wrote, “If not for the weakness of our system and stenches of colonialism, how can a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ike Ekweremadu serves a jail term in the foreign land?
Would America, the UK, or any European country allow that?
No matter the offense, he deserves to be repatriated back to Nigeria, face Nigeria court, and be sanctioned by Nigeria law.
I see this as an assault on our sovereignty, laws, and the status of our statehood in the international sphere.’’
Ike Ekweremadu who was the former Deputy Senate President, served in Nigeria’s National Assembly for more than one decade before his ordeal.
The couple was arrested on June 23, 2022, and found guilty of facilitating the transportation of a young Nigerian man to the UK for a kidney transplant operation to save their daughter’s life. They were also found guilty of organ trafficking and harvesting, along with a doctor who served as a middleman.
Ekweremadu and his wife were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, according to reports on social media.
The UK government has been cracking down on illegal organ trafficking, and the conviction of Ekweremadu and his wife has garnered reactions with some persons hailing it as a victory for justice while others plead mercy on his behalf.
