UK rejects FG’s request for Ekweremadu to complete prison term in Nigeria

The United Kingdom (UK) government has rejected the federal government’s request to transfer Ike Ekweremadu, the former deputy senate president, to serve the remainder of his prison term in Nigeria.

Ekweremadu is currently serving a prison sentence in the UK for organ trafficking.

He was convicted in March 2023 and sentenced to nine years and eight months for conspiring to exploit a young man’s kidney.

Earlier in November, President Bola Tinubu sent a high-level delegation to London to discuss Ekweremadu’s case and explore the possibility of him serving the remainder of his prison term in Nigeria.

The delegation comprises Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, and Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice.

However, the UK Guardian, quoting an unnamed official of ministry of justice (MoJ), reported that the Nigerian government’s request was rejected.

“A source at the MoJ has confirmed the request was rejected. It is understood the UK government was concerned that Nigeria could offer no guarantees that Ekweremadu would continue his prison sentence after being deported,” the newspaper said.

“Any prisoner transfer is at our discretion following a careful assessment of whether it would be in the interests of justice,” the UK Guardian quoted the official as saying.”

“The UK will not tolerate modern slavery and any offender will face the full force of UK law.”

THE EKWEREMADU CASE

The Ekweremadus were arrested by the London Metropolitan Police in June 2022, after a man was falsely presented to a private renal unit at Royal Free hospital in London as a cousin to their daughter Sonia, in what turned out a failed attempt to persuade medics to carry out an £80,000 transplant.

The 21-year-old man, who was allegedly promised work in the UK, reported the matter to the police in May of the same year, stating that he was brought to the country for an organ transplant.

In March 2023, the former deputy presiding officer of Nigeria’s red chamber was found guilty of organ trafficking by a UK court.

Beatrice, his wife, and Obinna Obeta, a doctor involved in the case, were also found guilty.

It was the first verdict of its kind under the UK Modern Slavery Act.

On May 5, 2023, Ekweremadu was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison, his wife was sentenced to four years and six months, and Obeta was handed a 10-year prison term.

In his judgement, Jeremy Johnson, the trial judge, ruled that Beatrice should spend half of the sentence in custody and on licence for the rest of the sentence.

However, in January, Beatrice was released from prison and returned to Nigeria.