Gbajabiamila, other lawmakers beg U.K over Ekweremadu

The House of Representatives has forwarded an appeal to the United Kingdom for clemency for former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who will be sentenced on May 5 on charges of organ harvesting.

In the appeal made during plenary on Tuesday, the reps pleaded with the UK to temper justice with mercy, describing Ekweremadu as a “good man with no prior convictions.”

A member of the House, Toby Okechukwu, who moved the motion for the clemency, said he based his position on the long standing history and cordial ties between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

Okechukwu said the appeal was also hinged on Ekweremadu’s contributions to the Commonwealth of Nations and his innocent intention to save the life of his sick daughter, Sonia.

He added that the former Deputy Senate President had come to the aid of many Nigerians in the past, which showed he is a good man.

READ ALSO: Organ Trafficking: Obasanjo writes UK court, pleads for Ekweremadu

Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, who also spoke during plenary, pleaded for clemency for Ekweremadu, describing him as a good man with no prior convictions, and asked the UK court to take into consideration the history of rightful living of Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice.

He also asked that consideration for their sick daughter who would “likely be away from her parents under whose care she is.”

Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, face a minimum of 10 years imprisonment for alleged organ trafficking in the first verdict of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act.

Ekweremadu, Beatrice, and their personal doctor, Obinna Obeta, were found guilty of facilitating the travel of a young Nigerian to Britain with a view to harvesting his kidney for their daughter who suffers from a kidney disease and requires surgery.

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