A protesting group of Nigerians have asked if a British member of parliament who commits an offence in Nigeria would be subjected to the kind of travail being meted out to former deputy senate president and sitting Senator, Ike Ekweremadu.
“Would (the) Nigerian government subject a UK Member of Parliament to the same shabby treatments and protracted detention on a clearly bailable offence under similar circumstance? More so, if such a UK parliamentarian had written to the Nigeria High Commission to fully disclose the purpose of the organ donor’s trip, including the particular hospital where the case would be handled?, the group styling itself the ‘Concerned Nigerians
United for Ekweremadu and Family’ asked after submitting a letter to the British High Commission in Abuja.
Recall that Ekweremadu has been in detention after he was alleged to have taken an underage young man into the United Kingdom to donate a kidney to his ailing daughter. He is facing trial though it has emerged the young man is not underage.
During the protest at the High Commission, placard-wielding supporters of the Senator met with the press.
Its spokesman, Mr. Paul Sawa, released a statement that read: “We are a body of Nigerians, who have keenly followed and are concerned about the travail of Senator Ike Ekweremadu and family, and the continued detention of a Nigerian citizen, a distinguished and serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, since 21st June 2022. We just submitted a protest letter to the UK High Commission over Ekweremadu’s continued detention
“A fair application of the justice system presupposes justice for all the parties involved in any matter, including the accused. It presupposes innocence until proven guilty. These fine principles of the law guarantee the fundamental human rights of every accused.
“We are therefore concerned about the continued detention over a clearly bailaible offence. By their schedule over there, Senator Ekweremadu’s real trial to determine his innocence or otherwise begins will begin in May 2023 by which time he would have spent one year behind bars.
“Worse still, we gather that the British authorities are also poised to charge Senator Ekweremadu’s ailing daughter to court on the same matter. This is most disturbing, especially as we had expected the UK authorities to be more humane and more concerned about the treatment and recovery of the poor lady.
“We are then moved to ask: Where is the humanity in all of this? Where is human right in all of this? Where is the presumption of innocence for the accused? Would Nigerian government subject a UK Member of Parliament to the same shabby treatments and protracted detention on a clearly bailable offence under similar circumstance? More so, if such a UK parliamentarian had written to the Nigeria High Commission to fully disclose the purpose of the organ donor’s trip, including the particular hospital where the case would be handled?
“Therefore, we
1.Appeal to the UK Government to grant Senator Ike Ekweremadu bail. The claim by his prosecutors that he is a flight risk is far from the truth, as the Ekweremadu we know, being a legislator of international acclaim, will be more interested in the recovery of his daughter, establishing his innocence, and reclaiming his reputation.
2.Appeal to the UK Government to consider the noble cause of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, being a natural instinct and spirited effort of a loving and responsible father to save the life of his daughter. This is something any other responsible parent could have done; and if this could happen to Senator Ike Ekweremadu, it could happen to anyone.”