The United Kingdom has rejected the Federal Government‘s request for former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in Nigeria.
British officials maintained that the imprisoned lawmaker must complete his sentence in the UK, where he is currently incarcerated following his 2023 conviction for attempting to illegally procure a kidney from a young man.
Ekweremadu was sentenced to nine years and eight months in a case that caused significant upheaval in Nigeria’s political landscape and sparked international condemnation regarding organ trafficking.
Recently, a delegation led by Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, met with representatives from the UK Ministry of Justice to advocate for the former senator’s repatriation. However, their request was firmly denied.
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A source from the UK Ministry of Justice stated that the British government could not secure any assurance that Ekweremadu would continue serving his sentence if he were returned to Nigeria. “The UK will not tolerate modern slavery, and any offender will face the full force of UK law,” the source emphasized.
As a result of this decision, Ekweremadu will remain in a UK correctional facility for the duration of his sentence.
In contrast, his wife, Beatrice Ekweremadu, who received a four-and-a-half-year sentence, has been released after serving half of her term and returned to Nigeria earlier this year.
