Nigerian MPs plead for UK mercy on convicted senator
The parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has also requested pardon for the lawmaker who was found guilty in a letter to UK authorities.
Boakyewaa Lawrencia 
Nigerian legislators have urged the UK court system to "temper justice with mercy" in relation to the conviction and subsequent sentence of a Nigerian politician who was found guilty of organ trafficking.
After bringing a 21-year-old man from Lagos to the UK, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, and a medical "middleman" were found guilty in March of participating in an organ-trafficking scheme.
They must be sentenced by Friday.
Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, pleaded for mercy while describing Ekweremadu as a "good man" with no prior convictions.
A letter from the Ecowas Speaker to the chief clerk of the Old Bailey criminal court in London was cited by local media in Nigeria.
However, Ecowas "believes that lessons have been learned," noting that it "stands against" the crime for which Ekweremadu had been found guilty.
Ekweremadu was also called "a major asset to the Ecowas region" in the letter.
