Nigeria’s online space has erupted in criticism after reports emerged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is negotiating with the United Kingdom Government to allow former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu serve the remainder of his nine years and eight months’ sentence in Nigeria.
According to sources, Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar and Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi, senior advocate of Nigeria, (SAN) have met with UK Ministry of Justice officials to discuss the terms of the transfer.
The move has sparked fierce backlash, with many Nigerians questioning why the government would prioritise the repatriation of a convicted organ trafficker over countless innocent or unjustly jailed Nigerians still held in foreign prisons.
Ekweremadu was convicted in March 2023 alongside his wife Beatrice and medical middleman Dr. Obinna Obeta after being found guilty of exploitive organ trafficking under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act (2015) — the first conviction of its kind.
The case began in 2022, when the former lawmaker and his wife allegedly lured a 21-year-old Lagos street trader, David Nwanini, to the UK under the guise of a job offer. Upon arrival, David discovered he was meant to donate a kidney to their ailing daughter, Sonia, without prior consent.
When he realised the deceit, David fled and alerted Surrey Police, halting the illegal transplant. Investigations revealed Ekweremadu had already begun searching for another donor in Turkey after the failed attempt.
Ekweremadu’s wife, Beatrice, who was sentenced along with him in May 2023, bagged four years and six months and was released on probation in January 2025. She has since returned to Nigeria while Dr. Obeta, who got 10 years jail term, remains in prison.
Now, news that Tinubu’s administration seeks to transfer Ekweremadu to Nigeria has reignited long-standing debates over selective justice and political favoritism.
Critics accuse the president of protecting political elites, citing similar cases where powerful figures convicted of corruption or violent crimes received presidential leniency.
“If the government truly cares about Nigerians abroad, it should start with innocent citizens suffering in foreign prisons, not convicted politicians,” one commentator said on X (formerly Twitter).
While neither the Presidency nor the UK Government has issued an official statement, diplomatic sources say discussions are ongoing.
For now, Ekweremadu remains in UK custody, but the controversy surrounding his possible repatriation continues to dominate political discourse in Nigeria.
