The United Kingdom has refused a request from the Nigerian government seeking the return of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu to complete his sentence in Nigeria, according to a report by The Guardian UK.
The 63-year-old former legislator is currently serving nine years and eight months in a UK prison after his 2023 conviction for conspiring to exploit a young man for his kidney.
The plan involved his wife, Beatrice, and a medical associate, Dr. Obinna Obeta, who facilitated the victim’s journey to London in a bid to harvest his kidney for Ekweremadu’s daughter, Sonia, at a private unit of an NHS hospital.
The case became the first successful prosecution for organ trafficking under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act.
A Nigerian team led by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, met with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) last week to push for Ekweremadu’s transfer so he could serve the rest of his sentence in Nigeria.
However, an MoJ source confirmed the request was rejected, citing concerns that Nigeria might not be able to ensure he continues his sentence if repatriated.
A government spokesperson declined to comment on the specific case, stating: “Any prisoner transfer is at our discretion following a careful assessment of whether it would be in the interests of justice.”
Another insider added: “The UK will not tolerate modern slavery and any offender will face the full force of UK law.”
Beatrice Ekweremadu, who received a four-and-a-half-year sentence — half of which she spent in custody — was freed earlier this year and has since returned to Nigeria.
During sentencing, Mr. Justice Jeremy Johnson criticised the trio’s conduct as a “despicable trade.”
He further stated: “The harvesting of human organs is a form of slavery. It treats human beings and their bodies as commodities to be bought and sold.”
He noted that Ekweremadu acted as the “driving force” behind the plot, describing the verdict as “a very substantial fall from grace.”
Trial details from the Old Bailey highlighted gaps in the UK health system’s capacity to identify organ trafficking. In February 2022, the victim was taken to a private renal unit at the Royal Free hospital in London, where it was falsely claimed he was Sonia’s cousin who had willingly agreed to the £80,000 transplant.
ALSO READ: FULL LIST: Names of 265 pupils, teachers still in captivity after Niger school abduction
Although a bribe was offered to a medical secretary, the hospital declined the procedure in March 2022 — but failed to notify police.
The scheme collapsed only after the victim sought help from authorities, saying he feared he was being targeted for another transplant in Nigeria.
Obeta had earlier undergone a kidney transplant at the same hospital in July 2021, using an organ from another man allegedly trafficked from Nigeria. He is serving a 10-year sentence, with two-thirds required to be served in custody.
(The Guardian UK)