Senate delegation to visit Ekweremadu, FG hires lawyers for his defence

The Nigerian High Commission has engaged the services of lawyers in the UK to defend former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu when he appears in court next month.

Senate President Ahmed Lawan disclosed this after a closed-door session of the chamber on Wednesday.

“I had a personal engagement with our Nigerian High Commissioner to Britain, Alhaji Isola Sarafa, who has done so well to establish contact with our colleague, who has been able to get his team to be in the court at Uxbridge where Ekweremadu was taken to,” Lawan said in a statement issued after the closed-door session.

“The High Commission has also been able to provide some consular services that include the engagement of some lawyers who will defend our colleague.

“We commend them for giving attention to the issue at stake. Equally, the Nigeria Foreign Affairs Minister has been engaged here, so that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes steps to provide diplomatic support for our colleague.

“Because this issue is already in court, we have limited opportunity to discuss beyond what we have done so far.

“But I want to ensure the family of our colleague, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and Nigerians, that the Senate will continue to engage with our ministry of foreign affairs as well as our high commission in London.

“The High Commission has done so much but we still expect that it will continue to provide any other further consular services.”

He also noted that the Senate will send a delegation to the UK to visit the embattled Ekweremadu who, alongside his wife, has been remanded in custody by the UK Government on allegations of organ harvesting.

According to him, members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs will be traveling to the UK in the next two days to meet with Senator Ekweremadu.

“There will be a delegation to London to see Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife. A delegation from the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Senate will leave in the next two days for London for that purpose,” the statement added.

“I want to urge all federal government institutions that can do anything to ensure that justice prevails in this case, that they do so.”