Ohanaeze Ndigbo Fires Buhari Govt over Ekweremadu's Ordeal, Reveals Next Step
- Ohanaeze criticised the FG for not assisting Ekweremadu, saying the Buhari administration did not treat the former Deputy Senate President like someone who has served meritoriously
- The apex Igbo socio-cultural group described the UK court's judgement which sentenced Ekweremadu to 10 years in prison as shocking and painful
- Ohanaeze added that Igbo leaders would pay Ekweremadu a visit soon, adding that the former lawmaker would come out of the experience ‘stronger and better’
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Enugu, Enugu State - The apex Igbo socio-cultural group in Nigeria, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, on Saturday, May 6, condemned the Federal Government for "doing nothing" to help a former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu.
Legit.ng had reported how a court in the United Kingdom (UK), on Friday, May 5, sentenced Ekweremadu to nine years and eight months imprisonment, while his wife, Beatrice, was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment for sponsoring a Nigerian man to the UK for the sole purpose of harvesting his kidney to save their daughter, Sonia.
Source: Facebook
Along with the Ekweremadus, a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta, was jailed 10 years. Ekweremadu, 60, and his wife Beatrice, 56, wanted a new kidney for their 25-year-old daughter Sonia.
Reacting to the UK court’s judgment, the spokesperson for Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Alex Ogbonnia, said the Federal Government did nothing to help Ekweremadu.
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In an interview with The Punch, Ogbonnia stated:
“They did not treat him like someone who has served meritoriously in this country. Rather, while he was facing the travails, the Federal Government came out with charges and allegations of corruption and seized his properties.
“This is a man who has been around you, walked with you for years and when he needed your help, there were busy talking about auctioning his properties.
"All those things indicated that it was not only the UK court that was after him, but the FG was also after him.”
UK court's judgment ‘shocking’, ‘painful’ - Ohanaeze
Describing the judgment as ‘shocking’ and ‘painful’, the spokesman said Igbo leaders would pay Ekweremadu a visit soon, adding that the former lawmaker would come out of the experience ‘stronger and better’.
He added:
“Before now, although not as Ohanaeze, we have visited him in prison. We still intend to do so even as he begins his sentence.
"It is shocking and painful that an illustrious Igbo man of that calibre will be involved in this kind of sentencing. However, there is nothing we can do about it for now.
Ekweremadus' woes
The current woes of the Ekweremadus came to limelight in June 2022 when news of his (Ike Ekweremadu) arrest made the news.
He was arrested by the London Metropolitan Police alongside his wife and charged with conspiracy to traffic a child to the UK in order to harvest organs.
This marked the beginning of his troubles which climaxed on Friday, May 5, with an almost 10-year sentence. At the end of his jail term, Ekweremadu will be close to 70 years old.
Organ Trafficking: Victim breaks silence after Ekweremadu's UK jail sentence
David Nwamini, the 22-year-old victim behind to whole organ trafficking saga of Senator Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice, said he does not want to go back to Nigeria.
Nwamini wanted to remain in the UK, as “they could arrest me or kill me in Nigeria”.
Nwamini became the subject matter after he was transported to the UK from Nigeria to donate his kidney for Ekweremadus’ 25-year-old daughter, Sonia, who is suffering from kidney disease.
Source: Legit.ng
