FG sends delegation to UK to negotiate Ekweremadu’s transfer to Nigeria
A high-level delegation has been sent to the United Kingdom by the Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, to engage British authorities on the possible transfer of former Nigerian Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, to Nigeria, to complete his remaining prison term in a Nigerian correctional facility.
The delegation which arrived in the UK on Monday, held discussions with officials of the UK Justice Ministry.
The delegation included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
Alkasim Abdulkadir, spokesperson to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, confirmed on Tuesday that the visit was a directive from the presidency to explore legal and diplomatic channels for Ekweremadu’s repatriation under the framework of international prisoner-transfer.
Having been convicted of conspiracy to procure a kidney transplant for his daughter, Ekweremadu has been in custody of the UK government since March 2023. His wife, Beatrice, and a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta, were also handed respective jail terms.
The UK court held that Ekweremadu violated the UK Modern Slavery Act by trafficking a 21-year-old to the country for the medical procedure, earning the former Deputy Senate President nine years and eight months sentence, the first conviction of its kind under the legislation.
While his wife was sentenced to four years and six months in prison, Obeta got a ten-year jail term. Beatrice has since been released from jail after serving part of her sentence.
The young Nigerian man involved in the case drew the attention of UK authorities after claiming to have been misled about the purpose of his travel, prompting the arrest of Ekweremadu and his wife by UK authorities in June 2022.
While the outcome would depend largely on diplomatic engagements, the pursuit of a possible prisoner-transfer agreement is ongoing between the two nations.
A positive outcome would allow the former lawmaker to complete his prison term in a Nigerian correctional facility.
