By Onyeanya Ebere Immaculata
The United Kingdom has rejected Nigeria’s request to allow former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in Nigeria.
Ekweremadu is serving a nine-year, eight-month sentence after his 2023 conviction for plotting to harvest the kidney of a young man, a landmark organ-trafficking case that drew global attention.
According to The Guardian UK, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar recently met officials of the UK Ministry of Justice to seek Ekweremadu’s transfer, but the request was declined over concerns that Nigeria could not guarantee the continuation of his custodial term.
A UK government source reportedly said the country “will not tolerate modern slavery and any offender will face the full force of UK law,” reinforcing the decision to keep him in British custody.
Ekweremadu will therefore remain in the UK to complete his sentence. His wife, Beatrice, who was sentenced to four years and six months, was released earlier this year after serving half her term and has since returned to Nigeria.
