Tinubu Sends Ministers to UK for Talks on Senator Ekweremadu’s Detention

A A high-powered delegation from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has met with officials of the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice to discuss the case of former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who has been serving a prison sentence in the UK since March 2023.

The Nigerian delegation, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi (SAN), held talks aimed at reviewing Ekweremadu’s situation and exploring possible diplomatic options.

Following the meeting, the delegation visited the Nigerian High Commission in London, where they were received by Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu, the Acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

The move is seen as part of President Tinubu’s renewed diplomatic engagement with the UK, particularly in sensitive cases involving Nigerian public figures.

Senator Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and a medical doctor were convicted in March 2023 for conspiring to traffic a young Nigerian man to Britain for organ harvesting—a violation of the UK’s Modern Slavery Act. The former Deputy Senate President was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison, becoming the first high-profile politician to be convicted under the law.

The latest diplomatic effort by the Nigerian government underscores its continued interest in the welfare and legal circumstances of Ekweremadu, a prominent political figure who once served three terms as Deputy Senate President.