ECOWAS parliament writes UK Court, seeks clemency for Ekweremadu
The Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Parliament/Community Parliament, the Honourable Sidie Mohamed Tunis, has written a letter to the Chief Clerk of the Central Criminal Court in London requesting that the conviction of former Deputy Senate President Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife be tempered with mercy.
Recall that Senator Ekweremadu, his wife, and a Nigerian doctor, Obinna Obeta, were recently found guilty of attempting to harvest the organs of a Nigerian who was trafficked to the United Kingdom in order to provide a kidney for their sick daughter.
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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo penned a letter last month requesting the same for Ekweremadu.
The letter titled A Pleading for Pardon RE: SENATOR IKE EKWEREMADU, please read: “My name is Dr. Side Mohamed Tunis, Speaker of the Fifth Legislature of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Parliament/Community Parliament (an organisation similar to the European Parliament in nature and function). In addition to being a former majority leader, I have been a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Sierra Leone since 2012.
“I am aware of the conviction and impending sentencing of Senator Ike Ekweremadu (my predecessor) and his wife, Mrs. Beatrice Ekweremadu, who just underwent trial at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey for violating UK laws pertaining to organ trafficking and modern slavery.
“Senator Ike Ekweremadu served in the ECOWAS Parliament for over a decade. From 2011 to 2015, he presided over the Third Legislative Session of the ECOWAS Parliament. From 2007 to 2011, he also served as the First Deputy Speaker of the Second Parliamentary Legislature. Parliament and the West African sub-region hold Ekweremadu in high regard for his contributions to the development of the Community Parliament and the preservation and consolidation of democracy in the sub-region.
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As First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament in 2009, he presided over the ECOWAS Parliament Ad Hoc Committee on the Political Situations in the Republics of Niger and Guinea. His efforts in this regard were instrumental in resolving the impasse between the two ECOWAS member states.
“As Speaker, he vigorously and diligently guided the ECOWAS Parliament in the implementation of the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan of the Community Parliament, including the strengthening of the ECOWAS Parliament’s institutional role and powers and the promotion and defence of human rights, justice, gender, democracy, peace, and security in the sub-region.
He rallied the Parliament against unconstitutional power grabs in West Africa as well as terrorism, insurgency, and militancy. In an effort to preserve democracy, peace, and stability in the subregion, he visited virtually every flashpoint, sometimes at great personal expense.
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