Why Senator Ike Ekweremadu must serve his jail term in United Kingdom

By Peters Osawaru Omoragbon:

Until I had the opportunity to listen to the full judgement against Senator Ike Ekweremadu and others, I was already feeling sorry and praying to God for mercy. I was moved by the parental instinct of what any parent can do to save his child and by the series of emotional narrative from different quarters majorly tilted in favour of the Senator and condemning the young victim who was tricked to the United Kingdom. As I listened to the entire ruling, I was glued to my seat as the Judge analysed the sequence of the crime and the roles played by all three actors: Mr and Mrs Ekweremadu and Dr Obinna, that I came to the conclusion that they all deserve their punishment.

They must be allowed to serve their sentence, so as to serve as deterrent to others like the Senator from Nigeria who on daily basis use their office and position to not only trample on the rights of the poor but also dispense of them with careless abandon.

I need not narrate the events nor the ruling (but would urge that you listen to the ruling on Youtube, it’s out there) and draw your own conclusion afterwards.

Here are some of my takes from the Judge’s point of view. These are questions and I shall attempt to answer some.

First, there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from this professionally, legally and morally. 

I shall attempt to look at this issue on both professional and moral grounds. Before then here are some questions I would love to ask: a. Do you think the Ekweremdus deserve the judgement handed out to them?
b. Were all the Nigerian high-profile personalities justified to have written to the judge for leniency?
c. Were the Ekweremadus justified by their actions going by the Crown's account of the event?
d. Would you elect to take a life to save yours when not in self-defence?
e. How about Dr. Obinna? What was the driving force behind his complicity or actions, Was it altruistic or professional or for filthy lucre?
f. As for the victim, what would you have done if you were in his position, would you have accepted compensation from the Ekweremadus?
g. Was he justified to have blown the whistle on the Ekweremadus?
h. Lastly, if you were the victim, what would you have done?
i. Just one more, do you support the clamour for the royal prerogative of mercy for  the Ekweremadus by King  Charles, if yes, what about Dr. Obinna?

Professionally, as a nurse, who trained, practised in Nigeria, retired and relocated to the United Kingdom, I feel ashamed at the parlous state of our medical facilities in Nigeria, and the carelessness with which those in authority are addressing the welfare of the healthcare professionals in Nigeria. Senator Ekweremadu was the Deputy Senate President of Nigeria, making him the Number 4 citizen in Nigeria, and for all his more than TWO decades in elective office in the second arm of government-legislative, is it not a shame that he could not find any hospital in Nigeria to provide the service he was spending millions of pounds for in the UK for his innocent daughter?

Imagine if Nigeria has at least ONE specialist hospital fully equipped for complex surgeries of the nature of a kidney transplant, would he have faced his current ordeal?

To even imagine that, the same National Assembly that has Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President to shamelessly pass a bill banning medical and nursing professionals from going abroad to practise whereas, the likes of Ekweremadu could afford medical tourism at the tax payers’ expense, speaks volume. It is scandalous!

If at 63, Nigeria the giant of Africa cannot boast of a functional healthcare facility to manage complex medical conditions, then, let all the government officials resign and declare a state of emergency in the healthcare sector in Nigeria.

In 2020, Prime Boris Johnson was infected by COVID-19 and was admitted into one of the NHS Hospitals akin to government hospitals in Nigeria. He was not flown outside the UK for treatment. He was not treated in a private medical facility in the UK. He was treated in the public hospital that anyone can attend in the UK. Why is this? Because all the hospitals are equipped for any type of medical and surgical conditions! 

Last year, Prof Osinbajo was operated upon in a private high-brow medical facility in Lagos. He got well and was discharged. Here is my analysis of both scenarios-the fact that Prof Osinbajo did not jet out to America or Europe but instead stayed in Nigeria was an indication that, it can be done also in any of the public hospitals if only our politicians and government officials would stop all the corruption in the system by deploying all resources for what they have been allocated.

If there can be a ban on all government officials and elected representatives from travelling out of Nigeria for medical tourism, they will have no choice than fix our healthcare system.

Morally, listening to the indignity meted out against the young man according to the Judge I felt so ashamed by the behaviours of all the three culprits. The young man was offered about 4 million naira, and only got 270k. He became dispensable as soon as the procedure was aborted. He was equally not properly briefed about the implications of the procedure post operatively. What about his after care. Would 4 million naira have made up for the loss of one kidney? Supposing without necessarily conceding, the operation went through, and the Senator’s daughter lives and the young man later dies from complication, Ekweremadu and his family would have cared less. The boy would have been one of those dispensable to the rich with no one to question them. This is just like money ritual. When you use other blood for money and flaunt it with careless abandon to the victims whose blood was used.

The Young man demonstrated a greater sense of consciousness and responsibility by refusing compensation which by all accounts he was legally and morally entitled. It shows he was not a desperate young man. He could have collected the money and sought asylum in the UK and would be granted and he will live on the proceeds, but he refused because, he knew the people he was dealing with were not ordinary people physically and spiritually. 

I hope on deeper reflection, all the Nigerian leaders that may have written to the Judge to tamper justice with mercy would rescind their appeals with good conscience after listening to the judgement.

If King Charles were to grant Senator Ekweremadu clemency, what happens to Dr Obinna? You cannot release one and leave the others to serve their jail terms. The law is no respecter of persons. The King will not make the first political decision that will hunt his reign so early after his coronation.

The judge must be commended. He was very professional and without sentiments. He refused to be swayed by all the accolades and encomiums poured out on Senator Ekweremadu but acted based on the rule of law and the facts of the case. This case demonstrated the professionalism of the British Police also, as there was no sensationalism rampant with the Nigeria system where all manners of reports both sponsored and otherwise would have been flying about town.

Finally, I think the Senator would have to refund to the Nigerian public all the money spent by the Nigerian Embassy in the UK to hire lawyers for him. He was not arrested whilst on official assignment in the UK but on a purely private matter. In the course of six months according to the Judge, all of the properties of Ekweremadu earned him well over 400k pounds! And yet, the Nigerian tax payers’ contributions were used to pay for his lawyers. 

By the time he comes out from prison, he would appreciate the enormous responsibility vested on public office which is to serve and not be served. He would realize that, repairing the roads in his locality is not just for the people alone, but will be handy in the case of emergency in his family because a journey of 10 minutes on good roads might take 2 hrs!

My prayers goes to the daughter and I am very sure, the UK government would take over her treatment on compassionate grounds and get her a donor kidney from any of ones in the ‘bank’. May God grant her that favour and mercy in Jesus Christ name, Amen.

Pastor Peters Omoragbon (UK), President/CEO Nurses Across the Borders International & President Diaspora Nurses Association of Nigeria.