The Nigerian government is currently in discussions with the United Kingdom to secure the transfer of former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, to complete his remaining jail sentence in Nigeria.
President Bola Tinubu dispatched a high-level delegation to engage with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice regarding the imprisoned senator’s case.
Ike Ekweremadu was convicted in the UK for organ trafficking after allegedly attempting to bring a 21‑year-old Lagos street vendor to Britain to donate a kidney for his daughter, Sonia.
In May 2023, he was sentenced to nine years and eight months under the UK Modern Slavery Act and remains in prison, while his wife, Beatrice, was sentenced to four years and six months and was released early in 2025. A medical intermediary, Dr Obinna Obeta, received a ten-year sentence.
The case triggered diplomatic discussions between Nigeria and the UK, exposed regulatory gaps in organ transplants, and prompted new investigations in Britain. While Ekweremadu’s family claimed his daughter’s kidney disease motivated the desperate act, the courts emphasized that informed consent and ethical procedures were disregarded.
Confirming the Nigerian government’s move, Alkasim AbdulKadir, spokesman for Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, told our correspondent: “Consultations still ongoing with UK authorities on the matter.”
He added: “An appeal for Prisoner exchange for him to serve the remainder of his term in Nigeria” has been presented to the United Kingdom authorities.
It was reported that the delegation, which included Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Adegbite, met with officials at the UK Ministry of Justice to discuss the former senator’s case.
The delegation was subsequently received at the Nigerian High Commission in London by the Acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu.
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