The United Kingdom has declined the Nigerian government’s request to have former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu transferred home to complete his prison sentence. The decision means the embattled lawmaker will remain in a UK correctional facility for the rest of his jail term.
Ekweremadu was convicted in 2023 for conspiring to harvest the kidney of a young man, a case that sparked global outrage and became one of the most widely discussed organ-trafficking trials in recent years. He was sentenced to nine years and eight months after the UK court found him guilty.
With the latest refusal from UK authorities, diplomatic efforts to secure his transfer have hit a major setback, leaving Ekweremadu to serve out his full sentence abroad as the case continues to draw public attention.