President Bola Tinubu has taken diplomatic steps to secure the repatriation of Ike Ekweremadu, who is currently serving a prison sentence in the UK for organ trafficking. A delegation led by Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar and Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi arrived in London on Monday, November 10, 2025, to meet with officials from the UK Ministry of Justice Vanguard The Punch.
The move follows Tinubu’s directive to explore legal and diplomatic channels under international prisoner-transfer frameworks, which allow convicted individuals to serve their sentences in their home countries. Ekweremadu was convicted in May 2023, alongside his wife Beatrice and a medical doctor Obinna Obeta, for conspiring to procure a kidney transplant for their daughter using a donor presented under false pretenses TheCable.
The delegation also met with Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu, to coordinate next steps. According to Alkasim Abdulkadir, spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Minister, the consultations are ongoing and aim to ensure that any transfer complies with both UK and Nigerian legal standards The Punch.
This development has sparked mixed reactions. Supporters argue that Ekweremadu deserves to serve his sentence closer to family and within familiar legal systems. Critics, however, question whether such a transfer could undermine the gravity of the crime and the independence of UK judicial decisions.
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