The Federal Government through the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom has engaged the services of lawyers to defend embattled Senator for Enugu West, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice.
According to a statement signed by his Special Assistant (Press), Dr. Ezrel Paul Tabiowo, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan disclosed this while speaking on the outcome of a one-hour closed session held before plenary on Wednesday.
Recall that Ekweremadu and his wife have been detained by the Specialist Crime Team of the Metropolitan Police over an alleged conspiracy to harvest the organs of a minor.
The couple was arraigned before the Uxbridge Magistrate Court in London two days later and remanded in prison custody.
The Ekweremadus reportedly facilitated the UK travel of one David Nwamini Ukpo, for the purpose of donating one of his kidneys to save the life of their ailing daughter, Sonia.
However, Ukpo approached UK authorities claiming to be a 15-year-old involuntary donor although the Ekweremadus insist he is a 21-year-old man who went to the UK of his own volition.
The couple will reappear in court on July 7.
Read full statement below:
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has disclosed that a delegation from its Committee on Foreign Affairs would depart Nigeria for London on July 1, 2022, to pay a visit to Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, who are both presently in detention over an allegation of organ harvesting.
Lawan made this known on Wednesday, while giving details into the outcome of a closed session held by the upper chamber before the start of plenary proceedings.
The closed door session which started about 10:57 a.m ended at 11:49 a.m.
According to Lawan, the decision to wade into Ekweremadu’s arrest and detention was against the backdrop of a briefing received by the Nigerian High Commissioner to London.
He further disclosed that 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 Isola 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.”