The Federal Government has opened talks with the United Kingdom, seeking approval to transfer former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, to a Nigerian correctional facility to complete his remaining prison sentence.
The Arise News also reports that President Bola Tinubu dispatched a high-level delegation to London for discussions with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice on the matter.
Ekweremadu was convicted in the United Kingdom for organ trafficking, following a scheme to bring a 21-year-old Lagos street hawker to Britain for a kidney transplant intended for his daughter, Sonia.
In May 2023, the court sentenced him to nine years and eight months under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act. His wife, Beatrice, was handed a four-year-and-six-month term but was released earlier in 2025. A medical intermediary in the plot, Dr. Obinna Obeta, received a 10-year sentence.
Confirming the ongoing diplomatic efforts, Alkasim AbdulKadir, spokesman to Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, stated: “Consultation still ongoing with UK authorities on the matter.
“An appeal for a prisoner exchange for him to serve the remainder of his term in Nigeria was tabled before the United Kingdom authorities.”
It was further gathered that the Nigerian delegation — comprising Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Tuggar, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) — met with top officials of the UK Ministry of Justice to deliberate on the case.
Following the meeting, the delegation was received at the Nigerian High Commission in London by the Acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu.
