By Ikechukwu Okaforadi, Vivian Okejeme and Joy Baba-Yesufu
The immediate past Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, Beatrice and medical consultant, Doctor Obinna Obeta, were yesterday convicted and sentenced to prison for their involvement in organ harvesting charges brought against them by a UK court.
At a sentencing hearing on Friday, Ekweremadu was jailed for nine years and eight months, his wife Beatrice was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment while their medical “middleman”, Dr Obeta, 50 years, received a 10-year prison term. The trio were found guilty in the Old Bailey in March.
However, Sonia, the Ekweremadus’ daughter, who has a serious kidney condition, wept as she was cleared of the same charge.
Mr. Justice Johnson told the defendants: “In each of your cases, the offence you committed is so serious that neither a fine nor a community sentence can be justified.”
It was alleged that the 21-year-old street trader was to be rewarded for donating the organ to Sonia Ekweremadu in an £80,000 private procedure at London’s Royal Free Hospital.
The case marked the first-time defendants have been convicted under the Modern Slavery Act of an organ harvesting conspiracy.
While it is lawful to donate a kidney, it becomes criminal if money or another material advantage is rewarded.
The prosecution claimed the donor was offered up to £7,000 and promised a better life in the UK.
The donor did not understand until his first appointment with a consultant at the hospital that he was there for a kidney transplant, the Old Bailey was told.
• Obasanjo pleads leniency for Ekweremadu
However, before yesterday’s sentencing, former President Olusegun Obasanjo had pleaded with the UK government to show leniency in adjudicating on the Case against Ekweremadu and his wife.
In the letter addressed to the Chief Clerk, the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, in London, the former President asked the Clerk to intervene and ensure the UK government tempered justice with mercy on the matter.
The letter dated April 3, 2023, said the Ekweremadus have learnt their lesson from the ordeal, urging the court and UK government to show clemency.
The letter read in part, “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 realise the implications of their action and I dare say, it is unpleasant and condemnable and can’t be tolerated in any sane or civilised society.
“However, it is my fervent desire for 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 urgent medical attention, you will use your good offices to intervene and appeal to the court and the government of the United Kingdom to 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 inactions 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.”
• Senate offers weak intervention to stave-off sentence
In a similar situation, the Senate pleaded with the United Kingdom authorities to grant former Deputy Senate president Ike Ekweremadu clemency over his case of organ harvesting.
On Wednesday, senate, through its President, Ahmad Lawan, noted that the chamber is seeking clemency in Ekweremadu’s case because it is the first time a member of the red chamber is getting involved in such a case.
According to him: “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.”
•House of Reps says Ekweremadu, wife are first time offenders
Joining others to make last minute intervention, the House of Representatives Thursday also pleaded clemency for the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, ahead of the sentencing in the United Kingdom yesterday.
A member of the House, Toby Okechukwu, moved the motion on Tuesday on the floor of the parliament based on the long-standing history and cordial ties between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
The lawmaker also drew attention to what he described as Ekweremadu’s contributions to the Commonwealth of Nations and his innocent intention to save the life of his sick daughter, Sonia.
He said there should be back channels for diplomatic interventions.
Okechukwu insisted that the former Deputy Senate President has come to the aid of many Nigerians in the past.
On his part, the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, spoke to the crown and pleaded for clemency for Ekweremadu, describing him as a good man with no prior convictions.
He 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 daughter be made, who is sick and would likely be away from her parents under whose care she is.
