By Promise Eze
Adamu Garba, a Nigerian politician, expressed his displeasure over the imprisonment of former deputy senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife in the UK.
Garba stated that this is a dent on the image of Nigeria and its sovereignty. He criticized the fact that a former deputy senate president is serving a jail term in a foreign country and called for immediate action to be taken by the Nigerian government.
Garba suggested that Nigeria should summon a UK ambassador to express their displeasure with the situation and negotiate within their diplomatic basket for what they can give the UK in exchange for Ekweremadu’s release.
He also called for a review of the mutual legal assistance treaty between Nigeria and the UK to improve its terms.
Garba expressed concern that allowing Nigerian politicians to serve jail terms in foreign countries sets a bad precedent and undermines Nigeria’s sovereignty.
He called on the Nigerian government to protect its institutions and sovereignty in the name of national interest.
He wrote:
I really don’t like this. I see it as a dent upon the image of our country and its sovereignty. A whole former deputy senate president to serve a jail term in a foreign land?! What kind of country are we?
I saw some pleas from different people for his release, most notably from former President Obasanjo and the Speaker of House of Representatives, but this isn’t enough.
If Nigeria is serious on this issue,we should immediately summon a UK ambassador to Nigeria, express our displeasure with the situation, minding not the attitude of Senator Ekweremadu but on the institution he represents, then, perhaps, afterwards, negotiate within our diplomatic basket, for what we can give them in other to get him back to Nigeria.
I am sure there are a whole lot of diplomatic give and take to tidy up and bring Senator Ekweremadu and his wife to serve their jail them in Nigeria. Why do we have a mutual legal assistance treaty with the UK? What are the terms? How can we improve on it? I don’t like the idea that a former deputy senate president is serving a jail term in the UK, honestly I don’t!
Allowing such to happen started during Obasanjo’s administration, when they mistakenly, in the name of fighting corruption, allowed late Governor Alamesigha and former Governor Ibori to serve jail terms in a foreign land. That was a bad precedent and we should be mindful of such unwholesome, unpatriotic mistakes.
Nigeria is a sovereign state with its laws, principles and justice system, equal enough to administer justice and apply sanctions on breach of law.
We must stand up for our institutions and protect their sovereignty in the name of our national interests.
I really don’t like this. I see it as a dent upon the image of our country and its sovereignty. A whole former deputy senate president to serve a jail term in a foreign land?! What kind of country are we?
I saw some pleas from different people for his release, most notably from… pic.twitter.com/duf0YXSpnu
— Adamu Garba II (@adamugarba) May 5, 2023
