FG deserted Ekweremadu – Ohanaeze Ndigbo

Apex Igbo socio-political group, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has accused the Federal Government of deserting the embattled Senator Ike Ekweremadu all through his court trial in the United Kingdom over organ harvesting charges until his sentencing to prison, last Friday.

Barring the letter of appeal written by former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to the UK Crown Court to tamper justice with mercy in the case of Senator Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, the government of current President Muhammadu Buhari failed to come to the aid of the lawmaker, who once served as deputy Senate President at the National Assembly.

It is also recalled that a National Assembly delegation made a seemingly halfhearted attempt to aid the serving senator but that effort died down as the case proceeded.

Senator Ekweremadu was sentenced to 9 years and eight months in prison by the UK court, while his wife, Beatrice received a lesser four year-jail term. The medical doctor who served as go-between in the search for kidney donor bagged 10 years.

Reacting, Saturday, to the sentencing, spokesperson for Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, berated the role played by the Nigerian government, just as he described the episode as ‘shocking and painful.’

“They (government) did not treat him like someone who has served meritoriously in this country. Rather, while he was facing the travails, the Federal Government came out with charges and allegations of corruption and seized his properties.

“This is a man who has been around you, worked with you for years and when he needed your help, there were busy talking about auctioning his properties. All those things indicated that it was not only the UK court that was after him, but the FG was also after him.

“Before now, although not as Ohanaeze, we have visited him in prison. We still intend to do so even as he begins his sentence. It is shocking and painful that an illustrious Igbo man of that calibre will be involved in this kind of sentencing. However, there is nothing we can do about it for now.

“But I believe Ekweremadu will come out stronger and better. He has always been a strong and courageous man. Ohanaeze prays he comes out healthy to face the world again,” the Ohanaeze spokesperson said.

It was also reported that, Sonia, the sick daughter of Senator Ike Ekweremadu and wife, Beatrice, disagreed with the sentencing of her parents to various jail terms by a United Kingdom Crown Court, Friday for offences bordering on organ harvesting.

This is also as the dialysis-ridden Sonia who suffers a rare kidney disease, has said she holds no grudge towards Mr. David Ukpo Nwamini, the man who blew the lid on the organ donation in London.

Reports have also that the medical doctor had shortchanged Mr Nwamini by over N4 million allegedly released by Senator Ekweremadu for the welfare of the kidney donor.

In an interview broadcast on BBC channel, Friday, Sonia described the situation as ‘sad’ as she also rejected the sentencing of her parents by the court, even as she accepted the reality of the situation which sees the Ekweremadus spending at least four years in prison for the offences.

Senator Ekweremadu and wife, along with the doctor were in March, this year, convicted of organ trafficking, in the first verdict of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Following the guilty verdicts by Justice Jeremy Johnson, Ekweremadu and his wife were remanded in custody and await sentencing on May 5.

The duo faced the accusations alongside a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta, and their daughter, Sonia, who was cleared of charges after the jury deliberated for nearly 14 hours.

The Ekweremadus were arrested and had been in the custody of UK authorities after they received complaints from the young man about their alleged plans to harvest his organ.

According to the human trafficking offence in Section 2 Subsection 1 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, a person commits an offence if the person arranges or facilitates the travel of another person (“V”) with a view to V being exploited.

Subsection 2 states that it is irrelevant whether V consents to the travel (whether V is an adult or a child).

In Section 2 Subsection 7, the law stated that “a person who is not a UK national commits an offence under this section if any part of the arranging or facilitating takes place in the United Kingdom, or the travel consists of arrival in or entry into, departure from, or travel within, the United Kingdom.”

The penalties under the Act stated in Section 5 Subsection that a person guilty of an offence under section 1 or 2 is liable, (a)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for life; (b)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine or both.

In Section 5 Subsection 2, a person guilty of an offence under Section 4 is liable (unless Subsection 3 applies), (a)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years; (b)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine or both.

Subsection 3 states that where the offence under Section 4 is committed by kidnapping or false imprisonment, a person guilty of that offence is liable, on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for life.

However, the trial judge, Justice Jeremy Johnson, had at the sentencing Friday, sentenced Ekweremadu to nine years and eight months, while his wife Beatrice and Obinna Obetta got four years and 10 years jail terms, respectively.

The sentence became the first of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act, following their conviction for organ trafficking in March, which lasted for six weeks.