TwoCents | EVERYDAY FOR THE THIEF, ONE DAY FOR THE OWNER

In what sounds like the recollection of a bad dream, it's all over the news that, a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweramadu and his wife, Beatrice have been arrested in the UK on charges bordering human trafficking and organ harvesting from a child. As horrific and disgraceful this may seem, stemming from the fact that this man is a political leader and a senator of the Federal Republic since 1999 and as such represents the country, it's government and it's people to the outside world, you'd expect that someone of this standing will carry himself in a manner that depicts class and exudes respect. This doesn't seem to be the case among the Nigerian political class. Time and again, it has been proven that most of the political class encourage, aid and abett crime as it benefits their elitist goals. Other times, they're directly involved. When their stooges are caught, they use their influence to cover it all up and before long the matter is swept under the carpet. They have weaponised poverty in the land, rob us blind of our shared patrimony and still take the little we have left for their benefit. As if that's not enough, they have brazenly began to kill us like chicken in a pen. Last year, David Hundeyin, an independent journalist and the founder of West Africa Weekly who became popular for his sensational article, "Cornflakes for Jihad: The Boko Haram Origin Story" did an investigative piece on Hiny Umoren's murder by Frank Akpan which led to an exposé on the involvement of some highly placed individuals and a policeman, a DPO, SP Samuel Ezeugo who claimed to have arrested the suspect. The article pieced together that she may have been the victim of a clandestine operation of an organ harvesting syndicate, either for the purpose of rituals or organ sales on the international black market. Whichever the case was, David Hundeyin made it a point to note that politicians and other highly placed individuals in society were in on it. The Akwa-Ibom state command of the Nigerian Police Force made a very poor attempt at covering up the crime as well as the offenders by refusing to investigate and pinning it entirely on one man when it was obvious he wasn't alone. A few weeks later, no one hears about the case. Most likely swept under the carpet, the suspect released and everything back to normal. Life goes on. This ability to get away with almost everything, is one of those things that make the political class so powerful and almost untouchable. It must be what informed our "dearly beloved" Ekweramadu's crass decision to take a child to London, a place which does take crimes against women, children and the disabled lightly, for the purpose of organ harvesting. London is definitely not Nigeria and he's supposed to know better. In this developing story, the child is a 15 year old who was taken to London by Mr. and Mrs. Ekweramadu off the streets of Lagos. The case has been adjourned to July 7th while the couple will be remanded in prison as they've been denied bail. This is definitely not Nigeria. We can definitely expect more names and indictments as this has to go beyond he and his wife alone. Is he involved in a syndicate of organ traffickers? What is his motive for this dastardly act? Whatever it is, there is no justification for harvesting an organ from a minor or anyone who can't legally give consent. Everyday for the thief, one day for the owner.

Other insights from Tari Ogbowei