The Federal Government of Nigeria has begun formal consultations with the United Kingdom to secure the transfer of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is currently serving a prison sentence in the UK, to complete his term in Nigeria.
The move followed a directive from President Bola Tinubu, who dispatched a high-level delegation to London to engage with British authorities on the matter.
Nigeria seeks UK approval to transfer Senator Ike Ekweremadu home to complete organ trading sentence.
FG delegation meets UK Ministry of Justice over Ike Ekweremadu prisoner exchange talks.
The delegation, which included Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Adegbite, held discussions with officials at the UK Ministry of Justice.
Senator Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President, was convicted in May 2023 under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act for his role in an organ trading plot.
He was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison after attempting to bring a 21-year-old Lagos street vendor to the UK for a kidney transplant intended for his daughter, Sonia.
His wife, Beatrice Ekweremadu, received a four-year and six-month sentence and was released early in 2025. A third party involved, Dr Obinna Obeta, was handed a ten-year sentence.
Organ trading case spurred diplomatic efforts
The high-profile case triggered diplomatic discussions between Nigeria and the UK, drawing attention to gaps in transplant regulation and prompting new investigations in Britain.
While the Ekweremadu family cited their daughter’s kidney disease as the motive behind the act, UK courts emphasised that informed consent and ethical alternatives had been disregarded.
Confirming the ongoing diplomatic efforts, Alkasim AbdulKadir, spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, 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” was tabled before the United Kingdom authorities.
Following the talks with UK officials, the Nigerian delegation was received at the Nigerian High Commission in London by the Acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu.
The outcome of the consultations remains pending, but the Nigerian government appears committed to pursuing the transfer through diplomatic channels.
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Ekweremadu’s expected jail term
Earlier reported details regarding the prison sentences handed down to Nigerian politician Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and their middleman, Dr Obinna Obeta, following their conviction for organ harvesting.
According to BBC, Ekweremadu is expected to spend nine years and eight months in prison. In 2023, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and Dr Obinna Obeta, 50, were convicted for their involvement in an organ-trading plot.
The trio was said to have brought a man from Lagos to the UK with the intention of harvesting his kidney for the Ekweremadus’ 25-year-old daughter, Sonia.
