The United Kingdom has rejected Nigeria’s appeal to allow former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu return home to complete his prison sentence.
Ekweremadu, 63, is serving nine years and eight months in a UK facility after he was convicted in 2023 of plotting to harvest the kidney of a young man for a transplant intended for his daughter.
His wife, Beatrice, and a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta, were also convicted for their roles in trafficking the victim to London under false pretences.
Prosecutors said the plan was to have the transplant at the Royal Free Hospital, claiming the victim was a cousin who had agreed to donate a kidney for £80,000.
Last week, a delegation raised by the Federal Government and led by Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar met officials of the UK Ministry of Justice to request that Ekweremadu be transferred to Nigeria to serve the rest of his sentence.
However, according to a report by The Guardian (UK), a source at the ministry confirmed the request was rejected. The official said the UK was not convinced Nigeria could guarantee that Ekweremadu would continue serving his term if returned home.
“The UK will not tolerate modern slavery and any offender will face the full force of UK law,” the source was quoted as saying.
Ekweremadu’s conviction was the first under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act for an organ-trafficking offence. Judge Jeremy Johnson had described the plot as a “despicable trade” and identified the former lawmaker as the driving force behind it.
Beatrice Ekweremadu, who received four years and six months, has reportedly completed her sentence and returned to Nigeria. Dr Obeta is serving a 10-year term.
With the UK’s refusal, Ekweremadu will remain in Britain to finish his jail sentence.
