The United Kingdom has turned down a request by the Nigerian government to transfer former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, to Nigeria to complete his prison term.
Ekweremadu is currently serving a nine-year, eight-month sentence in a UK correctional facility after a 2023 conviction for conspiring to harvest the kidney of a young man—an organ-trafficking case that drew global scrutiny.
A high-level Nigerian delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, recently held discussions with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ), seeking Ekweremadu’s repatriation to allow him serve the remainder of his term in Nigeria.
However, The Guardian UK reports that the British authorities rejected the request, expressing doubts over Nigeria’s ability to ensure that the former lawmaker would continue his prison term if transferred.
A source at the MoJ was quoted as saying the UK remains firm on its stance against human trafficking and modern slavery, noting that offenders must “face the full force of UK law.”
With the refusal, Ekweremadu is expected to remain in the UK until the completion of his sentence.
His wife, Beatrice Ekweremadu—who received a four-and-a-half-year sentence in the same case—was released earlier this year after serving half of her term and has already returned to Nigeria.
Source: Vanguard
