President Bola Tinubu has begun negotiations with the government of the United Kingdom (UK) for the early release of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu from a UK prison.
Ekweremadu is currently serving a jail sentence imposed by the Oxford Crown Court in Britain for his involvement in organ trafficking.
The UK court sentenced him to nine years and eight months in prison on May 5, 2023, for organ trafficking, alongside his wife, Beatrice, who received a four-year, six-month sentence for her role in the kidney trafficking case.
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Beatrice Ekweremadu, however, was released in January this year after serving less than two years.
Ekweremadu was convicted specifically for conspiring to bring a young Nigerian man to the UK to harvest his kidney for their daughter, Sonia.
President Tinubu, who is said to be keen on securing the politician’s early release, dispatched a high-level delegation that met with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice to discuss Ekweremadu’s case.
Members of the delegation include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi; and other top officials from both ministries.
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BusinessDay gathered that the delegation was received by Mohammed Maidugu, the Acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, upon their arrival on Monday.
The delegation is expected to continue meetings with officials of the British Ministry of Justice from Tuesday as part of ongoing efforts to facilitate Ekweremadu’s early release.
