The United Kingdom government has officially declined the Nigerian federal government’s request to transfer Ike Ekweremadu, the former Deputy Senate President, to Nigeria to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.
Ekweremadu is currently serving a nine-year and eight-month sentence in the UK, following his 2023 conviction for conspiring to traffic a young man’s kidney.
His sentence came after a high-profile trial that exposed the former lawmaker’s involvement in organ trafficking.
The decision by the UK authorities means Ekweremadu will continue to serve his term in a British prison, effectively closing the door on any immediate hopes of repatriation.
Last week, a Nigerian government delegation, led by the foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, met officials at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to discuss Ekweremadu’s case. The delegation requested his deportation so he could serve his remaining sentence in Nigeria.
A source at the MoJ has confirmed the request was rejected. It is understood the UK government was concerned that Nigeria could offer no guarantees that Ekweremadu would continue his prison sentence after being deported.
A government spokesperson said it could not comment on individual prisoners. They added: “Any prisoner transfer is at our discretion following a careful assessment of whether it would be in the interests of justice.”
A source said: “The UK will not tolerate modern slavery and any offender will face the full force of UK law.”
Beatrice Ekweremadu, who was sentenced to four years and six months, with half spent in custody, was released earlier this year and has since returned to Nigeria.
In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson said all three conspirators played a part in a “despicable trade”.
He said: “The harvesting of human organs is a form of slavery. It treats human beings and their bodies as commodities to be bought and sold.”
The judge described Ekweremadu as the “driving force” behind the organ-trafficking plot, and said his conviction represented “a very substantial fall from grace”.
His Old Bailey trial exposed vulnerability and complacency in the UK health system to organ trafficking.
In February 2022, the young man whom Ekweremadu trafficked to London was taken to a private renal unit at the Royal Free hospital in London. It was falsely claimed that man was Sonia’s cousin and had agreed to the £80,000 transplant.