Organ Tr@fficking: Senate joins Reps to seek clemency for Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice

The Senate has joined the House of Representatives to appeal to the UK government and parliament to temper justice with mercy in sentencing former deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, Mrs. Beatrice Ekweremadu, who were found guilty of organ harv£sting.

The Senate’s decision to appeal for clemency followed a motion raised by Senator Chukwuka Utazi during a plenary session on Wednesday, May 3.

This is coming after both the House of Representatives and the ECOWAS Parliament on Tuesday appealed to the UK government to temper justice with mercy.

In the motion, Senator Utazi said: “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, 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 with 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.”

Ekweremadu, alongside his wife; and their doctor, Obinna Obeta, are due to be sentenced on May 5 at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey.