President Bola Tinubu has sent a high-level delegation to the United Kingdom to negotiate the transfer of former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu who was convicted of organ trafficking to Nigeria.
Dockaysworld reports that the delegation, which included Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar and Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi, met with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice in London.
Their mission was to request that Ekweremadu be allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria under a prisoner transfer agreement.
Recall that Ekweremadu was convicted in May 2023 for conspiring to traffic a 21-year-old Lagos street vendor to Britain for a kidney transplant for his daughter, Sonia.
He was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison under the UK Modern Slavery Act.
His wife, Beatrice, was jailed for four years and six months but released early in 2025, while their associate, Dr. Obinna Obeta, received ten years.
The case was the first of its kind involving a Nigerian politician and sparked diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the UK.
Ekweremadu’s family claimed he acted out of desperation to save his daughter’s life, but the court ruled that the victim’s consent was manipulated.
Confirming the ongoing talks, the spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Minister, Alkasim Abdulkadir, said discussions with UK authorities are still in progress.
“An appeal for prisoner exchange for him to serve the remainder of his term in Nigeria has been tabled before the United Kingdom authorities,” he said.
After their meeting with UK officials, the Nigerian delegation was received at the Nigerian High Commission in London by Acting High Commissioner, Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu.
Diplomatic sources said the talks are part of efforts to activate Nigeria’s bilateral prisoner transfer agreements.
