The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has tackled the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami over his declaration that the Federal Government would not interfere with any local or international legal battle involving the former deputy president of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, facing trial for alleged organ harvest in the United Kingdom.
At the 46th session of the State House briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team, Abuja, the minister claimed it was not the tradition of the Nigerian government to interfere in anything judicial, local or international.
Reacting through a statement by its national publicity secretary, Dr. Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, said cultural relativism was a vital factor in International relations, which it explained meant that the norms and values of one culture should not be evaluated using the norms and values of another.
Citing various instances to buttress its stand that the government must intervene, the organisation such obligations are allowed under international law and diplomatic engagements.
It noted that it is the cultures and the liberty for groups or nations to exercise their cultural rights that form the basics of international relations, thus, sovereigns usually interfere to save their citizens in foreign countries.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo believes that Ekweremadu’s case should not be different, especially when Nigeria enjoys longstanding cordial relations with the UK, and all the individuals involved in the UK case are Nigerian nationals.
“There is nothing beyond diplomatic redemption once the political will is there.
It is rather curious that the AGF is making reference to Nigeria “Child Rights Act” more than a month after the UK Court ruled that the “donor” is not a child.
“One would expect Nigeria to feel scandalised by the initial contempt by the British authorities in discountenancing an official document of Nigeria on the “donor’s” age in the first place and feel disrespected by the continued refusal to grant Ekweremadu bail for a clearly bailable offence.”
“We reckon that Nigeria could never met the same treatment to a British parliamentarian of Ekweremadu’s pedigree.
“Ohanaeze believes that Ike Ekweremadu has served Nigeria meritoriously in various capacities while in the Senate as the Deputy President of the Senate; the Speaker of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), among others, and was decorated with the service honour of the Commander of the Federal Republic-CFR.
“The Nigerian government and indeed all Nigerians should know that a measured indignity to Ike Ekweremadu, an illustrious Igbo and a serving senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a sad denouement to Nigeria and indeed the entire Africa.
“We urge the Federal Government of Nigeria led by President Muhammadu Buhari and Mr. Geffrey Onyeama, the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Nigeria High Commission in the UK, the Senate and House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to burnish their diplomatic channels in ensuring that Ekweremadu and the wife get the desired assistance by transferring the case to Nigeria.”
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