President Bola Tinubu has dispatched a high-powered delegation to London to open discussions with British authorities on the possible transfer of former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who is currently serving a prison sentence in the United Kingdom.
The delegation includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
According to Alkasim Abdulkadir, spokesperson to the foreign affairs minister, the team arrived in London on Monday and held talks with officials from the UK Ministry of Justice. He explained that their mission is to consult with British authorities on the possibility of allowing Ekweremadu to serve the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria.
Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, were arrested by London’s Metropolitan Police in June 2022 after being accused of attempting to traffic a 21-year-old man to the UK for the purpose of harvesting his organ for their ailing daughter, Sonia.
The man, who had been promised employment in the UK, reportedly alerted the police after realizing he was being taken to a hospital for an organ transplant under false pretenses.
In March 2023, a UK court found Ekweremadu, his wife, and Dr. Obinna Obeta guilty of organ trafficking, the first conviction of its kind under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act.
The court subsequently sentenced Ekweremadu to nine years and eight months in prison, while his wife received a four-year, six-month term. Dr. Obeta was sentenced to ten years.
Justice Jeremy Johnson, who delivered the judgment, ruled that Beatrice Ekweremadu would serve half of her sentence in custody and the remainder on licence.
In January 2024, Beatrice was released from prison and returned to Nigeria after serving part of her sentence.
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