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Organ trafficking: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo seeks soft-landing for Ike Ekweremadu, wife ahead UK court judgement
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Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo in a letter appealed to the UK court, seeking for lenient rulings when Nigerian Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice are sentenced for organ trafficking.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife and Dr Obinna Obeta, were in March thus year found guilty of taking a 21-year-old street vendor to the UK fr Lagos to exploit his kidney.
Their conviction was the first under the Modern Slavery Act.
The former Nigerian leader in his letter appealed to the UK government to show leniency to the Ekweremadus for the sake of their sick daughter who was the targeted beneficiary of the organ for a kidney transplant.
Olusegun Obasanjo who is a retired military officer and statesman who served as Nigeria’s head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 2007, agreed that the offence for which the defendants were convicted is “unpleasant and condemnable and can’t be tolerated in any sane or civilised society” but appealed for a soft landing for Mr Ekeremadu and his wife.
He expressed optimism that Mr. and Mrs Ekweremadu have learnt from the distressing experience of theirs to guide their future actions or inactions so they will continue to be outstanding members of their community and will continue to contribute fully to the good of society.
Integrity News found that the former Deputy of the Nigerian Senate is at risk of being sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in line with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 of the United Kingdom after a London court found him and his wife guilty of organ trafficking.