The United Kingdom has rejected Nigeria’s request to transfer former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, to a Nigerian prison, where he hopes to complete his sentence for organ trafficking.
The push was made in November last year.
Ekweremadu, 63, is serving nine years and eight months in the UK after being convicted in 2023 – alongside his wife Beatrice, and doctor, Obinna Obeta – of conspiring to traffic a young Nigerian man to London to harvest his kidney for their daughter.
The landmark case was the first organ-trafficking conviction under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act.
A Nigerian delegation led by Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, met with UK Ministry of Justice officials in mid-November 2025 to request Ekweremadu’s repatriation.
However, British authorities declined, citing concerns that they could not be certain that the former senator would serve the remainder of his sentence if transferred.
The UK Justice Ministry said prisoner transfers are approved only when they “serve the interests of justice.”
But Beatrice Ekweremadu has since completed the custodial part of her four-and-a-half-year sentence and is now back in Nigeria.
Obeta is serving a 10-year term, two-thirds of which must be spent in prison.
During the Old Bailey sentencing, the judge described the plot as a “despicable trade” and a “dramatic fall from grace” for Ekweremadu, who was portrayed as the mastermind.
Evidence showed the victim was falsely presented as a family member and offered for an £80,000 transplant before fleeing in fear.
Nigeria’s request has stirred controversy at home, with critics questioning why the government intervened in Ekweremadu’s case while hundreds of other Nigerians remain imprisoned in the UK without similar diplomatic support.
The Nigerian High Commission in London has not commented.
Reports said that Mrs. Ekweremadu returned to Nigeria on Tuesday last week.
Mrs. Ekweremadu, her husband, Senator Ekweremadu and one Dr. Obinna Obeta were sentenced to prison by a UK Court for their involvement in organ harvesting.
While the former Deputy Senate President was sentenced to 10 years, his wife was sentenced to six years.
It was gathered that the return of Mrs. Ekweremadu is being celebrated across Enugu State.
The return of the former Senate President’s wife followed her May 2023 conviction by the Old Bailey in London.
She was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for conspiring to facilitate the travel of a 21-year-old Lagos street trader to the UK for the purpose of harvesting his kidney.
The organ was intended for the couple’s daughter, Sonia, who suffers from a chronic kidney condition.
The case, which was prosecuted under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015, marked the first time the legislation was used in a human organ-harvesting prosecution.
Under UK law, non-violent offenders are typically eligible for release on license after serving half of their custodial term.
Reports indicate that Mrs. Ekweremadu’s release was further facilitated by her record of good conduct and a broader UK government initiative to manage severe prison overcrowding.
Despite his wife’s return, Senator Ekweremadu remains in a UK correctional facility serving a significantly longer sentence.
In May 2023, the former lawmaker was handed a nine-year and eight-month term, as the court deemed him the primary driver of the conspiracy.
Efforts by the Nigerian government to secure his release or repatriation have so far been unsuccessful.
In late 2025, a high-powered diplomatic delegation visited London to explore a Prisoner Transfer Agreement (PTA) that would allow the Senator to serve the remainder of his term in a Nigerian facility.
However, the UK Home Office reportedly rejected the proposal in November 2025, citing concerns over the guarantee of the sentence’s continued enforcement if transferred to Nigerian jurisdiction.
A source close to the family said they were hopeful about his return to Nigeria hale and hearty to reconnect with loved ones, friends and associates.
The third convict in the case, Dr. Obinna Obeta, who was described by the prosecution as the medical “middleman,” continues to serve a 10-year prison sentence in the UK.
Meanwhile, the couple’s daughter, Sonia, who was cleared of all criminal charges during the 2023 trial, remains in the United Kingdom where she is reportedly receiving ongoing medical treatment for her condition.
The return of Beatrice Ekweremadu is viewed by legal observers as a significant milestone in the case, though it underscores the fractured state of one of Nigeria’s most prominent political families as they navigate the long-term consequences of their legal battle in a foreign jurisdiction.
- Media Report