UK: Nigerian delegation to negotiate Ekweremadu’s transfer

A high-level delegation has been dispatched by President Bola Tinubu to London to review the case of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who has been in detention in the UK.

Reports reveal that the delegation comprises the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.

The team met with officials of the UK’s Ministry of Justice after their arrival on Monday.

Tuggar’s spokesperson, Alkasim Abdulkadir, disclosed that the delegation would consult with the UK authorities to explore possibilities of Ekeweremadu serving the remainder of his prison term in Nigeria.

Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, were apprehended by the London Metropolitan Police in June 2022 in an organ harvesting case.

He was found guilty of organ trafficking by a UK court in March 2023 in what was the first verdict of its kind under the UK Modern Slavery Act.

The former presiding officer of Nigeria’s red chamber was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison, while his wife, who was also found guilty, got four years and six months.

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

However, Beatrice was released from prison in January 2025 and returned to Nigeria.