Ekweremadu: Lawyer demands intervention of King Charles

A constitutional lawyer, Kayode Ajulo, has written King Charles III, pleading for a Prerogative of Mercy for the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice, over their conviction by a British court.

Ajulo made the plea in a letter to King Charles III, which was made available to newsmen in Abuja on Saturday.

Ike, his wife, and his doctor, Obinna Obeta, were sentenced to 9 years, 4 years, and 10 years, respectively, in prison by an Old Bailey Court for violating British laws on kidney donation and transplant.

“Your Majesty, though invigorated by your coronation, I witnessed the same with mixed emotions."

“Ekweremadu and his wife have been convicted and sentenced accordingly, and I plead that you graciously and mercifully invoke the Royal Prerogative of Mercy in favor of the couple,” he said.

He described the chronicle of Ekweremadu and his wife as a sad one that left a bitter taste in the mouth.

He said their action was a “desperate” move by parents in their quest to save the life of their daughter, Sonia”.

Ajulo said the lady in question was in dire need of a kidney transplant, but unfortunately, her parents' doctor went about the mission in the most unsavoury of ways.

He explained that Ekweremadu may have chosen not to publicly advertise for a kidney donor to avoid swindlers who could take undue advantage of his daughter’s ailment.