Organ harvesting: Senate delegation to visit Ekweremadu, wife in London

Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday said a delegation from its Committee on Foreign Affairs would depart Nigeria on July 1, 2022, to pay a visit to Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice over the organ harvesting allegations upon which they are presently being detained in the United Kingdom.

Lawan disclosed this after a closed doors session by senators that lasted for about an hour before the start of the day’s plenary.

The Ekweremadus were remanded in the UK Police custody, after they were arraigned before the Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court for alleged conspiracy to facilitate the travel of another person for organ harvesting.

The Senate President said the decision to wade into their arrest and detention over allegations of organ harvesting was aimed at getting justice for the family.

According to him, the Senate would engage the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerian High Commission in London on the recent arrest of Senator Ike Ekweremadu by the London Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom.

He said: “I had a personal engagement with our Nigerian High Commissioner to Britain, Alhaji Ishola Sarafa, who has done so well to establish contact with our colleague, who has been able to get his team to be in the court at Uxbridge where Ekweremadu was taken to.

“The High Commission has also been able to provide some consular services that include the engagement of some lawyers who will defend our colleague.

“We commend them for giving attention to the issue at stake. Equally, the Nigeria Foreign Affairs Minister has been engaged here, so that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes steps to provide diplomatic support for our colleague.

“Because this issue is already in court, we have limited opportunity to discuss beyond what we have done so far.

“But I want to ensure the family of our colleague, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and Nigerians, that the Senate will continue to engage with our ministry of foreign affairs as well as our high commission in London.

“The High Commission has done so much but we still expect that it will continue to provide any other further consular services.

“We have also mandated our committee on foreign affairs to engage with the British high commission here in Nigeria, to find more details on this case, as as far as the high commission is involved.

“There will be a delegation to London to see Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife. A delegation from the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Senate will leave in the next two days to London for that purpose.

“I want to urge all all federal government institutions that can do anything to ensure that Justice prevails in this case, that they do so.”