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The UK has refused Nigeria’s request to transfer Ike Ekweremadu’s organ-trafficking sentence to Nigeria, citing prison completion concerns.

The British government has turned down a request from Nigeria to allow former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, serve the rest of his prison sentence back home.

Ekweremadu has been in a UK correctional facility since his conviction in 2023 for plotting to harvest the kidney of a young man. The case, which attracted global attention, led to his sentencing of nine years and eight months.

A delegation from Nigeria led by Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar met officials of the UK Ministry of Justice last week to push for a prisoner-transfer arrangement. 

However, according to The Guardian UK, the proposal was rejected over concerns that Ekweremadu might not complete the remainder of his jail term if returned to Nigeria.

The 63-year-old politician was convicted alongside his wife, Beatrice, and a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta, for orchestrating a plan to transport a young man to London under false claims. 

Prosecutors revealed that the group intended to use the victim’s kidney for a transplant at the Royal Free Hospital, claiming he was a willing relative ready to donate for £80,000.

Hospital officials halted the procedure after discovering inconsistencies, though they did not report the suspicious attempt immediately. 

The trial, conducted under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act, became the country’s first organ-trafficking conviction.

Beatrice Ekweremadu, who received a four-and-a-half-year sentence with half served in custody, has since returned to Nigeria. Dr. Obeta is serving a 10-year term, with at least two-thirds required to be spent behind bars.

During sentencing, Justice Jeremy Johnson condemned the act as a “despicable trade” that treats human beings like commodities. 

He described Ekweremadu as the mastermind of the operation, noting that the conviction marked a significant “fall from grace” for the once-influential lawmaker.

With the UK’s decision, Ekweremadu will continue to serve his full sentence in Britain.