By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The British government has turned down Nigeria’s appeal to have former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, transferred home to serve out the remainder of his prison sentence.
Ekweremadu is currently serving a nine-year, eight-month sentence in the United Kingdom after being convicted in 2023 for his role in an organ trafficking case that made global headlines. He was found guilty of conspiring to harvest the kidney of a young man, an offence that falls under the UK’s modern slavery laws.
A recent diplomatic engagement between Nigerian officials and the UK Ministry of Justice reportedly centred on the possibility of repatriating the former lawmaker to continue his jail term in Nigeria. The delegation, led by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, made a formal request for his deportation.
However, according to a report by The Guardian UK, a source within the Ministry of Justice confirmed that the request was declined.
The UK government is said to have raised concerns about Nigeria’s ability to ensure that Ekweremadu would serve the remainder of his sentence if allowed to return.
“The UK will not tolerate modern slavery and any offender will face the full force of UK law,” a source reportedly stated.
With the request denied, the former senator will continue serving his sentence in a UK correctional facility.
In contrast, his wife, Beatrice Ekweremadu, who was sentenced to four years and six months in the same case, has already been released after serving half of her sentence in custody. She has since returned to Nigeria.