Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has written the United Kingdom Court trying the former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, seeking clemency, on their conviction for organ harvesting in the kingdom.

Obasanjo in a letter dated April 3, and addressed to The Chief Clerk, the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, London, asked the United Kingdom government to temper justice with mercy in sentencing the former Senate President.

The former President premised his plea on the health condition of Ekweremadu’s daughter, his service to humanity though his foundation, and his service to the country and West Africa sub-continent.

Ekweremadu and Wife, Beatrice were arrested in London in June 2022 over allegations of organ trafficking, they were found guilty of the same offence last month. They are awaiting sentencing by May.

Obasanjo who condemned the action of the Ekweremadus, describing same as unpleasant and condemnable which can’t be tolerated in any sane or civilized society, however requested the intervention of the UK government to be magnanimous against the convicts.

He also appealed for the UK government to take their good character and parental instinct and care into consideration in whatever punishment is to be melted out.

“Mr. Chief Clerk, I am very much aware of the current travails and conviction of Ike Ekweremadu and his wife in the United Kingdom resulting from their being charged with conspiring to arrange the travel of a 21-year old from Nigeria to the UK in order to harvest organs for their daughter.

“I do realise the implications of their action and I dare say, it is unpleasant and condemnable and can't be tolerated in any sane or civilized society.

“However, it is my fervent desire that for the very warm relations between the United Kingdom and Federal Republic of Nigeria; for his position as one of the distinguished Senators in the Nigerian Parliament, and also for the sake of their daughter in question whose current health condition is in danger and requires an urgent medical attention, you will use your good offices to intervene and appeal to the court and the government of United Kingdom be magnanimous enough to temper justice with mercy and let punishment that may have to come take their good character and parental instinct and care into consideration.”

The former President extoled Ekweremadu’s virtues in the return of democracy in Nigeria, his achievement as a parliamentarian and his efforts as a humanist though his foundation, Ikeoha Foundation.

“Within this period of his service in the Nigerian Parliament, he has served as Deputy Senate President of the Senate and has headed so many Committees in various capacities and brought to bear his broad-based experience in legal practice and public administration.

“Sometime in 2009, he was appointed as the First Deputy Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and made to lead ad học Committee to work for the return of constitutional order in the Niger Republic.

“I clearly remember that in the heady days of the keen contest for the presidential ticket of our Party early 1999, he joined other well-meaning Nigerians from the South-Eastern part of Nigeria to set aside extraneous considerations and ensured that South East unanimously adopted me for the Presidency.

“I truly cherish his God-fearing, dispassionate, moderate and pan-Nigerian approach to national issues and developments, in our multi-ethnic, multi-religious geo-polity.

“He dedicates himself to the service of God and humanity and he continues to play visible roles in national development. Through the Ikeoha Foundation, a non-governmental organization founded by him and his wife, in 1997, he and his wife have rendered a lot of charitable activities, enhancing poor people's access to quality education and healthcare and building their capacity to participate in mainstream social, political and economic activities of their communities.

“Ike Ekweremadu's conferment with the coveted national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR, is further testimony to his selfless service to our country, Nigeria.”