Parliament

Ekweremadu: Senate to send delegation to London

The Senate has concluded plans to send a delegation on a visit to the former Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, over his arrest in London, United Kingdom for alleged organ harvesting.

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, made this known at the resumption of plenary on Wednesday after a closed door meeting.

Lawan said the delegation, made up of members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, would depart Nigeria for London on Friday, July 1.

He said: “I had a personal engagement with Nigerian High Commissioner in Britain, who has done so well by presenting his team to be in the facility, where Ekweremadu is being detained.

“The high commissioner has been able to provide some consular services including the engagement of lawyers to defend Ekweremadu and his wife in court.

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyemma has been engaged to extend diplomatic support to Ekweremadu and give attention to the issue at stake.”

Lawan, however, said the Senate would not not go beyond its limits as the case was already in court.

The Senate President assured that the upper chamber would continue to engage with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigeria High Commissioner in London on the issue to ensure that the senator was given all necessary support.

Lawan further urged government institutions involved in the case to ensure that justice prevailed.

Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice Nwanneka, were last week remanded in the UK police custody after they were arraigned before the Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court for alleged conspiracy to facilitate the travel of David Ukpo, alleged to be a teenager, for organ harvesting.

The couple, however, denied the allegations and the court adjourned the matter till July 7 for hearing.

The Star