Former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo has written an open letter to the Chief Clerk of the Central Criminal Court in London over the trial of Ike Ekweremadu who was convicted for organ trafficking.
This comes after the conviction of Ike Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President, his wife, Beatrice, and their doctor, Obinna Obeta, for violating the Modern Slave Act.
The trio were found guilty of organ trafficking after facilitating the transportation of a Nigerian man to the UK with the intention of using his kidney for the transplant of their daughter.
Last year, the Metropolitan Police arrested Ekweremadu and his wife in connection to the crime.
In his letter, dated April 3, 2023, Obasanjo called on the court to consider the good character and parental instinct of the defendants, and to be merciful in their sentencing.
Obasanjo appealed to the court and the UK government to take into account their circumstances before handing down punishment.
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The letter has since sparked a heated debate among Nigerians, with some expressing their support for plea by Obasanjo, while others have criticized him for trying to interfere with the judicial process.
The Letter by Obasanjo reads;
“It is with great pleasure that I write in respect of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who I have known for over two decades.
“Within this period, I have followed and watched, with keen interest, Ike Ekweremadu’s inspiring career which traversed private legal practice and public administration.
“I recall, with fond memories, the beginnings of our political and social relationship at the outset of our collective quest for democratic rebirth for our fatherland.
“During my administration as a democratically-elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, Ike Ekweremadu and I had close relationship and interactions as staunch members of our political party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and more so as he got elected into the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2003, of which he has since remained a member till date.
“Within this period of his service in the Nigerian Parliament, he has served as Deputy Senate President of the Senate and has headed so many committees.
“In various capacities and brought to bear his broad-based experience in legal practice and public administration. Sometime in 2009, he was appointed as the First Deputy Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and made to lead ad học Committee to work for the return of constitutional order in the Niger Republic.
“I clearly remember that in the heady days of the keen contest for the presidential ticket of our Party early 1999, he joined other well-meaning Nigerians from the South-Eastern part of Nigeria to set aside extraneous considerations and ensured that South East unanimously adopted me for the Presidency.
“This was without regard to the fact that my closest competitor hailed from their part of the country.
“I truly cherish his God-fearing, dispassionate, moderate and pan-Nigerian approach to national issues and developments, in our multi-ethnic, multi-religious geo-polity. He dedicates himself to the service of God and humanity and he continues to play visible roles in national development.
“Through the Ikeoha Foundation, a non-governmental organization founded by him and his wife, in 1997, he and his wife have rendered a lot of charitable activities, enhancing poor people’s access to quality education and healthcare and building their capacity to participate in mainstream social, political and economic activities of their communities. Ike Ekweremadu’s conferment with the coveted national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR, is further testimony to his selfless service to our our country, Nigeria.
“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 realize the implications of their action and I dare say, it is unpleasant and condemnation and can’t be tolerated in any sane or civilized society.
“However, it is my fervent desire that for the very warm relations between the United Kingdom and 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 United Kingdom 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 inaction 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.”
