Lagos-based legal practitioner, Mr Jide Ologun, has called for the strengthening of institutions and the implementation of Nigerian laws to protect citizens from exploitation in all forms. Ologun made this call in response to the recent conviction of former Nigerian Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, in a UK court for attempting to harvest the kidney of a Nigerian national trafficked to the UK to donate his organ for his sick daughter.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, Ologun expressed his belief that the example set by the UK’s legal system demonstrates that no one is above the law. “This means it does not matter the office you hold in the land, if you flout the laws of the land, there shall be consequences, and that’s the example the UK is setting and some other countries of the world. And by extension, even those who haven’t started constituting a nuisance to society will learn from this, and it, therefore, has a preventive impact on society.”
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Ologun believes that in order to protect citizens from exploitation, Nigerian laws must be strictly enforced. “We’ve to use the laws of the land to protect the citizens from exploitation,” he said.
In recent years, Nigeria has become a hub for human trafficking, with thousands of Nigerians being trafficked to various parts of the world each year. Many of these individuals are vulnerable and are operated on by unlicensed doctors during their trafficking journey. The successful prosecution of individuals involved in the exploitation of these vulnerable individuals is a step towards ending this practice and protecting citizens from exploitation.
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The conviction of Ekweremadu and his co-conspirators should serve as a warning to Nigerians who seek to exploit their fellow citizens. It also demonstrates the importance of global cooperation in the fight against human trafficking and exploitation.
Ologun’s call for the strengthening of institutions and the enforcement of Nigerian laws is a step towards creating a society that protects its citizens from all forms of exploitation. With the right legal framework and institutions in place, Nigeria can work towards eradicating human trafficking and exploitation, and create a safer and fairer society for all its citizens.
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