President Bola Tinubu is seeking to facilitate the transfer of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu from a prison in the United Kingdom to Nigeria.
On Monday, a high-level delegation from Nigeria was sent to the UK to meet with British authorities.
The delegation, which included Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, met with officials at the UK Ministry of Justice in London.
A video clip of the team in the UK went viral online.
Mr Tuggar’s spokesperson, Alkasim Abdulkadir, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the delegation met with British authorities to discuss options for Mr Ekweremadu to serve the rest of his jail term in Nigeria.
“The presidential delegation met with UK authorities to explore the possibilities of Senator Ike Ekeweremadu serving the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria. Consultations are ongoing,” he said.
The delegation was also received at the Nigerian High Commission in London by Mohammed Maidugu, who is serving as Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
In June 2022, Mr Ekweremadu and his wife were arrested and charged with trafficking a young man to harvest his kidney for their ailing daughter.
They were arrested and charged alongside a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta, over the incident.
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In March 2023, the Old Bailey Court in the UK convicted Mr Ekweremadu, his wife, and Mr Obeta of organ trafficking.
In May of the same year, the court sentenced Mr Ekweremadu to nine years and eight months in prison.
The court also sentenced Mr Ekweremadu’s wife to four years and six months in prison, while Mr Obeta, the doctor who colluded with them, was sentenced to 10 years.
However, Mr Ekweremadu’s wife returned to Nigeria after her release from the UK prison in January 2025.
