QuickRead: Ekweremadus’ imprisonment for organ harvesting. Four other stories we tracked and why they matter

A court in the United Kingdom last week sentenced the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, and the family’s doctor to various prison terms for organ harvesting.

This and four other stories we tracked dominated public discourse last week.

1. Ekweremadu sentencing for organ harvesting

On May 5, the Central Criminal Court, London, sentenced Ekweremadu to nine years and eight months in prison for conspiring to traffic a Lagos market trader to the UK to harvest his kidney.

The court also sentenced Ekweremadu’s wife, Beatrice, to four years and six months and the family’s doctor, Obinna Obeta, to 10 years jail terms for the same offence.

Justice Johnson, who delivered the judgement, said: In each of the cases the offence committed is so serious that neither a fine nor a community sentence can be justified.

“The transplant did not go ahead but each intended that it should go ahead and each intended the harm to the donor that would result.
“He would have faced spending the rest of his life with only one kidney and without the requisite funding for the required aftercare.”

Why it matters

The sentencing of the former deputy Senate president reaffirms the place of law in the affairs of men, especially in Nigeria where bad behavior has been accepted as the way of life.

The British jury’s adjudication of the case provides the opportunity for us to once again look at our institutions, especially the judiciary which appears occasionally compromised.

Ultimately, the Ekweremadu’s conviction is a sad reminder that there will always be a day of reckoning and bad behavior will be duly rewarded with the deserving punishment.

2. Report links 20 properties in the UK to Tinubu’s associates

A report on May 5 linked the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with 20 properties in the United Kingdom.
The investigative report published by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) revealed that the properties were bought by Tinubu’s associates in the European nation during his time as governor of Lagos from 1999 to 2007.

It read: “OCCRP has uncovered more than a dozen other properties with links to Tinubu, mostly acquired while he served as Lagos state’s governor from May 1999 to May 2007. Tinubu’s spokesman did not respond to emails and text messages seeking comment.
“In 1993, he was forced to forfeit $460,000 to the U.S. government as proceeds of narcotics trafficking, according to the ruling of a U.S. District Court in Illinois.
“However, about a year later, Abeeb Holdings Limited, an offshore company registered in Gibraltar with Tinubu as the beneficial owner, bought Flat 9 at 96-100 New Cavendish Street in London.”

Why it matters

The report published a few days after the United States-based media organization, Bloomberg, identified Tinubu’s son, Seyi, as the major shareholder of Aranda Overseas Corporation — an offshore company used for the purchase of a $10.8 million property under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) probe simply means that Tinubu’s history might be tainted after all.

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The recent revelations about Tinubu who has long been dogged by several allegations of corruption and rule-breaking again call into question the quality of individuals vying for leadership positions or the template used for the recruitment process in the country.

3. Lawan decries escalating insecurity in Nigeria

The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, on May 4 decried the deteriorating security situation in many parts of the country.
Lawan spoke after the Senator representing Plateau North, Istifanus Gyang, alerted the upper legislative chamber on bandit attacks in a few communities in the state.

He blamed the worsening security situation on the lack of resources.
“Let me remark here that the security agencies should ensure that we maintain security in areas that appear to be flashpoints.
“I agree with you that recently, the security situation in some parts of the country has started to deteriorate.”

Why it matters

The Senate President might be saying the obvious about the security situation in the face of current realities in the country.

The terrorists and herdsmen have been emboldened by the government’s helplessness with the Buhari administration appearing to throw up its hands in the air for the criminals to have unfettered access to communities and wreak havoc.

With the ongoing administration and its security agencies appearing to run out of ideas on how to tackle the problem, Nigerians can only hope the incoming government will have the courage to confront the matter head-on and wrestle the country back from its enemies.

4. Gombe APC expels senator, Rep

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State on May 3 expelled the senator representing Gombe South Senatorial District, Bulus Amos, for alleged anti-party activities.

The party also expelled the lawmaker representing Yamaltu/Deba Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Yunusa Abubakar, for the same reason. Amos is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta.

The APC Chairman in Bambam ward of Balanga Local Government Area, Muhammad Kaka, who confirmed the development in a statement, said: “We held elections in our ward during the just concluded general elections and we have Senator Amos from our ward who didn’t come out to partake in our political activities.
“But instead of appearing when he was summoned, the senator went around with his supporters telling them not to vote for the APC, and in his polling unit and the surrounding polling units APC didn’t win any of those units because of his anti-party activities.”

Why it matters

The expulsion of the two lawmakers weeks after the same treatment was meted out to the former Gombe State governor, Danjuma Goje, speaks to the enormity of the crisis in the state chapter of the APC.

With disputes arising from allegations of corruption and anti-party activities, among others in state chapters and even at the national level, the party might be in danger of serious implosion in months ahead unless the leaders quickly come together and nip the crisis in the bud.

5. Iwuanyanwu’s appeal for Kanu’s release

The newly elected President-General of the apex Igbo socio-political organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, on May 1 appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, before leaving office this month.

Iwuanyanwu, who made the appeal during his inauguration as the new leader of the group in Enugu, said Kanu’s release was crucial to any discussion on the South-East.

He said: “It is also important to note that the judiciary has discharged and freed Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“It will be the joy of many Igbo people and Nigerians to see Mazi Nnamdi Kalu released from detention.”

Why it matters

With his May 29 exit date gradually approaching, the time has come for President Buhari to rethink the decision to keep Kanu in prison and explore a political solution to IPOB’s separatist agitation before handing over to his successor.

This move will at least restore calm and help erase all misgivings of the past eight years in the South-East, a region that is gaining global attention for the wrong reasons.

By Hamed Shobiye

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