Jail Term: UK Refuses Request by Nigerian Govt for Ike Ekweremadus Transfer Home

Says its not sure hell serve his full time 

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The government of the United Kingdom, has turned down Nigerias request for the transfer of former Deputy Senate President (DSP), Ike Ekweremadu, currently serving jail term, to Nigeria.

THISDAY learnt that the UK government has declined to transfer Ekweremadu to Nigeria because it was not sure the Nigerian government would ensure Ekweremadu fully served out his prison term in Nigeria.

Ekweremadu was in 2023, sentenced to nine years and eight months imprisonment, for offences bordering on organ trafficking.

The London Metropolitan Police had in June 2022, arrested Ekweremadu, his wife and Dr Obeta, after a man was falsely presented to a private renal unit at Royal Free hospital in London, as a cousin to their daughter Sonia.

The man said to be about 21 years old was allegedly promised work in the UK. He however reported the matter to the police stating that he was brought to the country for an organ transplant.

The UK government immediately arraigned the former DSP alongside his wife, Beatrice, and a Medical Doctor, Obinna Obeta, for conspiring to arrange the travel of a young man to the UK in order to harvest his organs.

They had planned to transplant the organ of the young man to Ekweremadus daughter, Sonia, who was receiving treatment in a private unit of an NHS hospital in the UK.

While Beatrice bagged four years and six months jail term, Dr Obeta was jailed for 10 years.

Meanwhile, Beatrice who has since been released from custody returned to Nigeria in January this year.

However, President Bola Tinubus administration had earlier this month, sent a high-level delegation to London to discuss the possibility of bringing Ekweremadu to Nigeria to complete his jail term in a correctional center in the country.

Nigerias Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, and his counterpart in the Justice Ministry and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, were among key members of the delegation.

Unfortunately, report in the UK Guardian, has revealed that the efforts of the delegation did not yield desired results.

The newspaper attributed the refusal to a source at the Ministry of Justice.

A source at the MoJ has confirmed the request was rejected, the UK Guardian said, stating It is understood the UK government was concerned that Nigeria could offer no guarantees that Ekweremadu would continue his prison sentence after being deported.

The paper further quoted the source as saying, Any prisoner transfer is at our discretion following a careful assessment of whether it would be in the interests of justice.

The UK will not tolerate modern slavery and any offender will face the full force of UK law.