Tinubu Sends Delegation to UK to Negotiate Ekweremadu’s Prison Transfer to Nigeria

President Tinubu has sent  a delegation to UK to negotiate Ekweremadu’s prison transfer to Nigeria.

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that President Bola Tinubu has dispatched a high-powered delegation to London to negotiate the transfer of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who has been serving a prison sentence in the United Kingdom since March 2023.

According to government sources, the Federal Government is seeking a bilateral prisoner transfer arrangement that would allow Ekweremadu to complete the remainder of his jail term in Nigeria.

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The delegation, led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi met with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice on Monday to discuss the terms of the possible repatriation.

After the meeting, the delegation visited the Nigerian High Commission in London, where they were received by Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu, the Acting High Commissioner to the UK.

Confirming the development in an interview with Arise News on Monday night, the spokesperson for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim AbdulKadir, said consultations with UK authorities are still ongoing.

“An appeal for a prisoner exchange to allow Senator Ekweremadu serve the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria has been presented to the UK authorities,” AbdulKadir stated.

He added that the UK government has acknowledged receipt of Nigeria’s formal request, and discussions are progressing through diplomatic channels.

Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, were arrested by the London Metropolitan Police in June 2022 for attempting to traffic a 21-year-old Lagos street vendor to the UK for a kidney transplant intended for their daughter, Sonia.

The couple had falsely presented the man as Sonia’s cousin at the Royal Free Hospital in London, where the procedure was to take place for a reported fee of £80,000.

Following an investigation, Ekweremadu was convicted under the UK Modern Slavery Act and, in May 2023, sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison. His wife received a four-year, six-month sentence, while a medical go-between, Dr. Obinna Obeta, was handed a ten-year jail term.

Beatrice Ekweremadu was released early in January 2025 and has since returned to Nigeria.

The high-profile case drew global attention, ignited diplomatic conversations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, and raised critical questions about organ trafficking laws and ethical transplant practices.