Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has blamed the Federal government for the travails of former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who was sentenced on Friday to nine years imprisonment by a United Kingdom Crown Court on charges of organ harvesting.
The pan-Igbo group accused the Federal government of hounding the politician in order to confiscate his properties.
The group’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, through a statement on Saturday in Owerri, accused the government of doing nothing to help Ekweremadu because it is after him as well.
“We feel sad. Ike Ekweremadu is an illustrious son of Igboland. He has been indicted and sentenced to long imprisonment.
“It’s unfortunate and saddening that this has befallen him. Ekweremadu is an eminent personality in Nigeria; he served the country meritoriously even as Deputy President of the Senate, and was Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament.
“For a man that has the kind of experience he has to be away from the scene for ten years, it’s very unfortunate. But we’re hopeful that they will overcome this travail.
“This is a man who has been around you, walked with you for years and when he needed your help, they were busy talking about auctioning his properties.
“They did not treat him like someone who has served meritoriously in this country.
“Rather, while he was facing the travails, the federal government came out with charges and allegations of corruption and seized his properties.
“All those things indicated that it was not only the UK court that was after him, but the FG was also after him,” Ogbonnia said.