Nigeria Opens Diplomatic Talks With UK On Ekweremadu’s Repatriation To Serve Sentence At Home

A high-level delegation from the Nigerian government, dispatched by President Bola Tinubu and led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar, has initiated formal consultations with United Kingdom authorities regarding the imprisonment of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.

The discussions focus on the potential transfer of Ekweremadu to Nigeria, where he would serve the remainder of his sentence for organ trafficking convictions. Ekweremadu, along with his wife, Beatrice, and a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta, was sentenced in May 2023 by a UK court to up to nine years in prison for conspiring to harvest a kidney from a vulnerable Nigerian man.

Upon arriving in London, the Nigerian team held initial meetings with the UK Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Justice. Additional engagements with senior officials are scheduled in the coming days to advance the prisoner transfer appeal.

The move emphasizes Nigeria’s diplomatic efforts to bring the 62-year-old politician home, citing humanitarian grounds and bilateral agreements on prisoner exchanges. Ekweremadu, a prominent figure in Nigerian politics and a key ally of President Tinubu, has been incarcerated at HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire since his conviction.

Confirming the developments to Arise Television, Alkasim AbdulKadir, spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Minister, said: “Consultations are still ongoing with UK authorities on the matter. An appeal for prisoner exchange for him to serve the remainder of his term in Nigeria was tabled before the United Kingdom authorities.”

This initiative follows months of advocacy from Nigerian lawmakers, civil society groups, and Ekweremadu’s family, who argue that completing his sentence in Nigeria would allow better access to family support and medical care. The UK–Nigeria prisoner transfer treaty, established in 2007, provides a framework for such arrangements, though approvals depend on mutual consent and assessments of rehabilitation prospects.

Ekweremadu has been in UK custody since March 2023. The case, which involved trafficking a 21-year-old man to the UK for a kidney transplant for Ekweremadu’s daughter, marked the first conviction of its kind under the UK Modern Slavery Act. The former lawmaker was sentenced to nine years and eight months, his wife received four years and six months, while Obeta was sentenced to ten years.

Beatrice Ekweremadu was released earlier this year after serving part of her sentence and has since returned to Nigeria. Ike Ekweremadu, however, remains in UK custody.

The Nigerian government is pursuing the possibility of a prisoner-transfer agreement, which would allow Ekweremadu to complete his sentence in a Nigerian correctional facility, subject to approval by both governments and relevant legal processes.

Officials say consultations are ongoing, with further updates expected as diplomatic engagement progresses, underscoring Nigeria’s commitment to safeguarding the welfare of its citizens abroad while respecting the UK’s judicial independence.

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