British authorities have dismissed Nigeria’s request to bring home former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who is currently in a UK prison for organ trafficking offences.
Fresh information from The Guardian UK indicates that the attempt, led by Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, failed after UK justice officials concluded that Nigeria could not give firm assurances that Ekweremadu would continue serving his full sentence if repatriated.
In 2023, Ekweremadu, now 63, received a nine-year, eight-month jail term after a British court found him, his wife Beatrice, and medical doctor Obinna Obeta guilty of plotting to exploit a young Nigerian man for his kidney. The organ was meant for their daughter, Sonia, at a private London hospital.
According to the report, the conviction marked the first time the UK’s Modern Slavery Act was used to secure a judgment for organ trafficking, underscoring the severity of the case.
A senior UK Ministry of Justice source, quoted by The Guardian, said prisoner transfers are discretionary and approved only when they satisfy clear justice considerations—criteria Ekweremadu’s case did not meet.
Another government official stressed that the UK maintains a strict stance against modern slavery and will continue to enforce full penalties on offenders.
Beatrice, who received a four-year, six-month sentence, has already returned to Nigeria after completing half of her term under British release rules.
During sentencing, Justice Jeremy Johnson condemned the conspiracy as part of a “despicable trade,” warning that treating human bodies as commodities amounts to slavery. He described Ekweremadu as the “driving force” behind the illegal scheme and noted his dramatic fall from national prominence.
Court documents show that the victim—identified only as C—was taken to the Royal Free Hospital in London in February 2022 and falsely presented as Sonia’s cousin who had willingly agreed to donate a kidney. The hospital raised concerns and rejected the procedure, but the matter only surfaced when the victim later escaped and sought protection from authorities.
Obeta, who previously benefited from a questionable kidney transplant at the same hospital in 2021, is currently serving a 10-year term, two-thirds of which must be spent behind bars.
Nigeria’s move to seek Ekweremadu’s return has drawn criticism at home, with many questioning why the government intervened in a conviction secured under one of the UK’s strongest anti-trafficking laws.
