Olisa Metuh reacts to Ekweremadu, wife’s arrest in UK

Former publicity secretary of the People Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh has said that God will vindicate former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu after he was arrested alongside his wife in the UK on Thursday.

Recall that Ekweremadu and his wife have been charged with human trafficking after allegedly smuggling a 15-year-old boy into Britain in order to harvest his kidney for their sick daughter.

Ike Ekweremadu has been charged alongside his wife, Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55, with conspiracy to arrange and facilitate the travel of another person with a view to exploitation.

READ ALSO: How Kidney donor turned asylum seeker, robed Ekweremadu into alleged organ harvesting

Speaking through his Facebook page, Metuh said even people that know the truth will not come out to defend the lawmaker. He stated that he expects to see a lot of condemnations thrown at Ekweremadu.

“At times like this, you get a mob media trial. Even those who know the truth will keep quiet.” he said.

Metuh went further to describe Ike Ekweremadu as a kind person. He also used the opportunity to pray for him at this trying time.

“IKE EKWEREMADU is a kind hearted, jovial and humble man. He is a good man and God will vindicate him. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his wonderful family. It will surely end in praise in Jesus name.”

Mr Ekweremadu, one of the most senior and well-connected politicians in Nigeria, was appointed visiting professor of corporate and international linkages at the University of Lincoln earlier this month.

He was denied bail along with his wife, after prosecutors argued he posed a flight risk if allowed to stay at their north-west London home.

He served as the deputy president of the Senate, one of the most powerful positions in the country, from 2007 to 2019 and is an old ally of Dr Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s former president.

The trafficking of human beings for organ removal is a major issue in North and West Africa, where impoverished and displaced people are at greater risk of exploitation, according to Interpol.

An investigation by the Italian government found that African migrants trying to reach Europe who were unable to pay for their journeys across the Mediterranean were being sold to organ traffickers in 2016.

The World Health Organisation estimates that between five and 10 percent of global organ transplants are performed using illegally sourced organs.