The United Kingdom has turned down a formal request by the Federal Government of Nigeria to allow former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in Nigeria.
Ekweremadu is currently incarcerated in the UK after he was convicted in 2023 for conspiring to traffic a young man to Britain for the purpose of harvesting his kidney. The high-profile trial, which drew global attention, resulted in a sentence of nine years and eight months for the former lawmaker.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, recently led a delegation to the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ), where he requested Ekweremadu’s deportation to enable him complete his jail term in a Nigerian correctional facility.
However, according to a report by The Guardian UK, officials of the MoJ declined the request, stating that the British government could not obtain credible assurances that Ekweremadu would continue to serve his sentence once transferred to Nigeria.
A source was quoted as saying the UK government “will not tolerate modern slavery and any offender will face the full force of UK law,” signalling Britain’s commitment to upholding the verdict delivered by its courts.
With the request rejected, Ekweremadu will remain in the UK to complete his sentence.
Meanwhile, his wife, Beatrice Ekweremadu, who was also convicted in the case and handed a sentence of four years and six months; half of which was to be served in custody was released earlier this year and has since returned to Nigeria.
