These days, the court of public opinion is no longer on the streets as it once was; it is on the volatile streets of Twitter and other social media platforms.
This is where critical issues are raised, thrashed, rubbished or even ‘comedified’, just as Nigeria’s former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu must have discovered. While it is no longer news that he was on Thursday, June 23 arrested alongside his wife, Beatrice in London, the speed with which Twitter users made it a top Nigerian trend was alarming.
According to the Metropolitan Police, the former number two man of the Nigerian Senate was arrested for bringing a child to the UK for organ harvesting. More worrisome is Wikipedia updating his profile barely three hours after the news broke. Wikipedia updated its records on Ekweremadu at exactly 4:30 PM on Thursday, June 23, three hours after the news made it online. The topic is also number six on the content list of his profile, coming even before his awards and references.
The update reads: “Ike Ekweremadu (born 12 May 1962) is a Nigerian politician and lawyer from Enugu State who has served in the Senate of Nigeria since May 2003.[1] He is a member of the People’s Democratic Party and was the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate for three consecutive (6th, 7th and 8th) senate. [2] He was charged on 23 June 2022 alongside his wife for a conspiracy to transport a child into the United Kingdom in order to harvest organs.[3] “On 23 June 2022, Ekweremadu was charged alongside his wife Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu with conspiring to arrange the travel of a child into the UK in order to harvest organs.
The child was safeguarded. An investigation had been ongoing since May 2022 when the Metropolitan Police was made aware of potential offenses under modern slavery legislation.[30]” With the current reality, here’s what Nigerians need to worry about when travelling internationally with a minor.
1. You will be flagged by airport authorities if said minor is not your biological child or officially adopted child. As if innocent Nigerians don’t face enough scrutiny as it is, if you are found with a child you will have questions to answer.
2. Sick Nigerians may be delayed from travelling for fear of an attempt at organ trafficking.
3. No more special treatment for anyone, including highflying Nigerians who truly deserve special consideration.
