•Tinubu and Ekweremadu
A social activist and critic, Mahdi Shehu has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of his administration’s sudden interest in the incarceration of former Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu’s case being hinged on his 2027 ambition.
Ekweremadu was tried in the UK court in 2023 for a nine-year prison sentence over his role in organ harvesting for his daughter, who had kidney challenges, reports Daily Independent.
Ekweremadu, his wife, Beatrice and Dr Obinna Obeta were sentenced at the UK’s Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, to nine years and eight months, four years and six months, and 10 years in prison respectively in the first conviction of its kind under Britain’s modern slavery laws.
The three were found guilty in March of trafficking a 21-year-old street trader to the UK to provide a kidney for the Ekweremadus’ daughter, Sonia, who, according to the CPS statement, suffers from deteriorating kidneys and needs regular dialysis.
Prosecutors said the victim was brought to the UK after being offered a reward of up to £7,000 ($8,810) and the promise of work in the country, but was unaware that he was expected to provide a kidney in return.
In a post shared on his official X account today, Shehu claimed that Tinubu’s recent decision to set up a high-powered committee to engage the United Kingdom government over Ekweremadu’s imprisonment was not driven by compassion but by political strategy.
According to him, the president suddenly woke up from his diplomatic slumber and remembered Ekweremadu, who has been in prison since his conviction in 2023 for organ trafficking.
Shehu noted that Tinubu’s decision came despite Nigeria currently lacking a substantive ambassador to the UK who, he said, could have handled the matter more effectively through regular diplomatic channels.
Shehu wrote, “The UK justice system is nearly watertight. The opportunity to resolve the Ekweremadu issue was lost long ago.”
He further explained that the only realistic option left for Nigeria was to explore a prisoner transfer agreement if such a treaty exists and has been executed between both countries.
In his view, Tinubu’s action is not a humanitarian gesture but a political calculation.
“My take is that Tinubu is using the Jamboree trip to show he cares and is concerned because the election is approaching and Ekweremadu is the only visible Ndi-Igbo that is not on “THE TRAIN” From Bombay to Goa. And with him on board, Ndi Igbo will finally be captured.
“Other Nigerians convicted or detained at various prisons all over the world will never receive the Ekweremadu attention because even if they are released, they will be of no political value to Tinubu. Such is the visible miscalculation.”
