The conviction of former Deputy President of the Senate, Sen Ike Ekweremadu, on organ trafficking charges by a UK court, has sparked a flurry of reactions from Nigeria.
Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and a doctor Obinna Obeta were arrested on charges of organ trafficking in June 2022. The three were arrested for illegally sourcing for a kidney donor for Ekweremadu’s daughter, Sonia, who has a medical condition that requires a kidney transplant.
During the court trial, several entreaties were made to the UK authorities to come down easy on Ekweremadu, with former President Olusegun Obasanjo penning another one of his famous letters calling for mercy for the detained lawmaker.
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But the pleas fell on deaf ears, as a UK court on Friday, May 5, 2023, found all three defendants guilty and sent them to prison.
Ike Ekweremadu got ten years imprisonment, his wife Beatrice got six years, and the medical practitioner, Dr Obinna Obeta, was hit with ten years as well.
Following the conviction, Nigerians took to social media with diverse reactions. From celebrating the ruling as a win for justice to some expressing sympathy for the daughter who will have to continue her search for a kidney without her parents who will be behind bars.
Here are some reactions gathered by The Quest Times:
@ShehuSani Senator Ekweremadu,Beatrice and Obinna;the UK Court is done and The Lord shall see you through.
@Morris_Monye As much as I feel sympathy for Ekweremadu’s plight, I have always said that for this country to be better, all our old breed Politicians have to be in prison.
@ENIBOY Ekweremadu has been sentenced to roughly 10 years. In real terms, he probably will be out in 4 years. I hope his daughter gets the kidney she needs as both parents are in jail. Reports say the guy whose kidney was to be harvested wasn’t even a match. So all this was for nothing
@novieverest Ike Ekweremadu gets 10 years. His wife Beatrice gets 6 years, The wicked doctor gets 10 years. A sane society is one where justice is supreme and not title. Thank you, UK.
@FS_Yusuf_ Ike Ekweremadu has been sentenced to 9 years imprisonment and 8 months; his wife 6 years and his doctor 10 years, at the Old Bailey. Impunity finally found its boundaries
@I_Am_Ilemona In all, I feel very sorry for Sonia Ekweremadu, who’ll surely bear a lifelong burden of guilt & who still has a battle to fight against a life-threatening ailment.
@okwoche Judge says there is evidence that #Ekweremadu has over 40 properties. And that over £400k went into his account in a six month period.
@lollypeezle If UK releases Ekweremadu tomorrow, he will do Thanksgiving, people will celebrate his crime, then he will contest again and win. If that olofo who is still under investigation for murder can be vying for Speakership, please join me to welcome His Excellency Ramoni Hushpuppy.
@JephthahPeace On Ike Ekweremadu: all I see here is the never ending love of a father & just how much he’s willing to go. Perhaps if he had facilitated the building of a world class hospital in Nigeria after over 20 years at the National Assembly, then maybe…just maybe… Anyway, he’d be fine.
@diisa2002 Ekweremadu sentenced to 10years in jail. This is in a country where the system work! Whoever you are, you do the crime then you will do the time. Nigeria will get there. The Obidient movement has taken it upon itself to challenge the current system that’s been pulling the…
@Nigeriangod_ If the court case against Ike Ekweremadu was in nigeria, they would have paid some glutton influencers and PR companies to run campaigns for them so they can be set free. This is a lesson to all our politicians the abroad you always run to would eventually be your nemesis.