Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has appealed to the United Kingdom to grant administrative bail to former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who is in custody over alleged organ harvesting charges.
Ekweremadu Daughter Sonia
KanyiDaily recalls that Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, are currently facing charges in a UK court over alleged human trafficking and organ harvesting of an alleged 15 years old boy, David Nwamini Ukpo.
The couple were accused of trafficking the ‘homeless boy’ from Lagos into the UK with the passport of a 41-year-old man, to transplant his organs to their daughter, Sonia Ekweremadu, who suffers from kidney failure.
On Monday, Sonia took to social media to beg the general public for kidney donation, saying that the charges faced by her parents in court had complicated the current situation.
The 25-year-old, who described her battle with the kidney disease as “challenging”, said that her family members have been advised against kidney donation as medical examination showed her case was genetic.
Ekweremadu’s daughter, who was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) nephrotic syndrome, revealed that her father was also battling a kidney ailment even while in detention.
Ohanaeze Begs UK To Release Ike Ekweremadu
Reacting in a statement on Tuesday, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Okwu Nnabuike begged the UK authorities to consider the lawmaker and grant him bail so he could treat himself and his daughter.
Nnabuike said, “In the light of the revelations by Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s daughter, we want to appeal again that he be released on bail.
“It is always said that a court trial is for the living. You can try a man who is dead; so considering the current revelation of the Senator’s health status, our plea is that he be released on bail to enable him to attend to his health and face his trial.
“Senator Ike Ekweremadu is not just a former Deputy Senate President, but former Speaker, ECOWAS parliament. There is no way such a calibre of person would jump bail.”
“We urge the UK court to reconsider its stand on this matter in order to avoid a double jeopardy. Should Ekweremadu and his daughter die in the course of this case, it would have amounted to a double jeopardy.
“He is still an accused person and we have never doubted his innocence from day one of this episode. This is why we are again making this very passionate appeal.”
KanyiDaily recalls that Ike Ekweremadu’s wife, Beatrice was granted bail on July 22, but the former senator’s request for the same was denied by the UK court.