President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dispatched a high-level Nigerian delegation to London to negotiate the possible transfer of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who has been serving a prison sentence in the United Kingdom since March 2023.
The Federal Government is reportedly pursuing arrangements that would allow Ekweremadu to complete the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria.
On Monday, the delegation, including Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar and Attorney General and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, held discussions with officials at the UK Ministry of Justice concerning Ekweremadu’s incarceration.
The team was later received at the Nigerian High Commission in London by Acting High Commissioner Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu.
Alkasim AbdulKadir, spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Minister, confirmed that consultations with UK authorities are ongoing, saying a formal request for a prisoner transfer had been submitted to enable Ekweremadu to serve the remainder of his term in Nigeria.
“Consultations are still ongoing with UK authorities. An appeal for a prisoner transfer for him to serve the rest of his sentence in Nigeria was formally tabled”, AbdulKadir stated.
Ekweremadu’s conviction stems from a high-profile organ trafficking case that captured international attention.
In June 2022, he and his wife, Beatrice, were arrested by the London Metropolitan Police after attempting to bring a 21-year-old Lagos man to the UK under pretenses for an £80,000 kidney transplant intended for their daughter, Sonia.
The young man, who was promised work in the UK, reported the scheme to police, leading to charges under the UK Modern Slavery Act.
In March 2023, Ekweremadu was found guilty of organ trafficking and subsequently sentenced in May to nine years and eight months in prison.
His wife received a four-year, six-month sentence and was released early in January 2025, returning to Nigeria.
A medical intermediary, Dr. Obinna Obeta, was sentenced to ten years.
The case has not only drawn intense media coverage but also prompted diplomatic engagement between Nigeria and the UK, highlighting gaps in transplant regulations and triggering further investigations in Britain.
