Beatrice Ekweremadu, the wife of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, has reportedly been released from a UK prison and has returned to Nigeria.
Sources confirm that she arrived on Tuesday to a warm reception filled with celebrations and prayers for her husband’s eventual release.
In May 2023, Beatrice and her husband were convicted on charges related to organ harvesting and human trafficking. The couple attempted to procure a kidney from a young Nigerian boy to serve as a donor for their ailing daughter, Sophia.
Additionally, Dr. Obinna Obeta, a 50-year-old doctor, was also found guilty of collaborating with the Ekweremadus in the scheme. While Ike Ekweremadu received a 10-year prison sentence, Beatrice was sentenced to six years, despite citing health challenges during her trial.
The couple’s conviction marks the first under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Their sentencing followed appeals from prominent figures and organizations, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), both chambers of Nigeria’s National Assembly, Abike Dabiri-Erewa of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), and the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC).
