BREAKING: UK Turns Down FG’s Appeal for Ekweremadu’s Prison Transfer

• The UK has turned down Nigeria’s bid to have former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu return home to finish his jail term, insisting he must serve out his sentence in Britain.

The United Kingdom has declined a request from the Nigerian government to allow former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu to complete his prison sentence in Nigeria.

Ekweremadu is currently serving time in a UK correctional facility after being convicted in 2023 for plotting to harvest the kidney of a young man—an organ-trafficking case that drew global attention. He was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison.

Recently, a Nigerian delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, met with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to discuss Ekweremadu’s situation. During the meeting, the Nigerian government requested that he be deported to serve the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria.

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However, according to The Guardian UK, a source at the Ministry of Justice confirmed that the request was rejected. The UK government reportedly expressed concerns that Nigeria could not guarantee Ekweremadu would continue serving his full sentence upon return.

A UK official was quoted as saying: “The UK will not tolerate modern slavery and any offender will face the full force of UK law.”

With the rejection, Ekweremadu will remain in the UK to serve out the rest of his prison term.

Meanwhile, his wife, Beatrice Ekweremadu—who was sentenced to four years and six months, with half served in custody—was released earlier this year and has since returned to Nigeria.