Organ Harvesting: Senate Pleads for Clemency as London Court Sentences Ekweremadu Tomorrow

•Temper justice with mercy, Dabiri-Erewa appeals

Michael Olugbode and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate on Tuesday appealed to the Central Criminal Court, Old Baily, London, for clemency, as the court prepared to sentence Nigeria’s former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice, following a guilty verdict of the court over alleged organ harvesting.

Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, also joined in the plea for leniency for the Ekweremadus.

The upper chamber, in a motion by Minority Whip, Chukwuka Utazi, pleaded for mercy and leniency, citing Orders 10 and 11 to seek the leave of the Senate to request for clemency on behalf of Ekweremadu and two others.

Utazi stated, “Senator Ike Ekweremadu, as a former Deputy Senate President for 12 years and the former Speaker of Economic Community of West African States Parliament, and considering the enormous contributions he did make in the development of democracy in Nigeria and West Africa and beyond.

“They are seen as first offenders and they do not have any previous criminal records, and considering that Ekweremadu was ignorant of seeking out a kidney donor to come to the United Kingdom and even applying to British Government in Abuja for a visa for the donor.

“The Senate is not happy on the conviction of the Ekweremadus and ignorance of the law is not an excuse, but they were faced with these circumstances in a bid to save their dying daughter Sonia.

“The Senate is joining in the plea by asking for clemency in the coming sentencing two days away. That clemency may be extended to the Ekweremadus considering that all of the convicts are first offenders.”

Utazi noted that a compassionate approach to the sentencing of the convicts should be adopted by “tempering justice with mercy,” as the publicity already given to the trial was enough warning to would-be offenders in the future.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan buttressed the position of his colleague, stating that the Senate has taken a number of steps previously to intervene in the issue.

Lawan said, “Let me reiterate what our colleague here has presented to us. Distinguished Senator Ike Ekweremadu served as Deputy Senate President for 12 years. He has brought in so much effort to the development of parliaments in Africa and across the world and he has never been found wanting and, therefore, what has happened is very unfortunate and very sad.

“I have written a letter to the British judicial authorities about two, three weeks ago seeking clemency on behalf of the Senate. I signed the letter and had it delivered to the authorities in the United Kingdom.

“We are now using this particular intervention to seek clemency in the sentencing. The conviction has already been done but we are seeking clemency because this is the first time our colleague is getting involved in this kind of thing.

“I want to commend Distinguished Senator Chukwuka Utazi for bringing up this issue and let me conclude by seeking tempering justice with mercy by the British judicial authorities that when it comes to sentencing, they should consider that this is the first time ever that Distinguished Senator Ekweremadu will be facing this kind of situation.”

On her part, Dabiri-Erewa, in a statement by Head of Media/Public Relations and Protocols of NIDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, pleaded with the court to show compassion and sympathy in the case.

Dabiri-Erewa said in the statement, “I join men and women of goodwill to plead for clemency for Senator Ike Ekweremadu, if only even considering the psychological trauma Sonia, the daughter, would be going through, knowing that her parents are in jail because they tried to save her from a health condition she had no control over.”

Dabiri-Erewa implored the UK government to temper justice with mercy, while admitting that “mistakes have been made, and lessons learnt.”

The NIDCOM boss said though there was no ignorance in law, Ekweremadu and his wife acted under the natural instinct of parents to save an ailing daughter, and not for commercial purposes.