President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has activated high-level diplomatic engagements in London as his administration pushes for the transfer of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu to Nigeria to complete his UK jail term.
A delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar — and supported by senior officials from the Ministry of Justice — arrived in the United Kingdom earlier this week and immediately commenced consultations with British officials. The team has reportedly met with ministers and top officials in the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) as well as the Ministry of Justice, with more meetings expected in the coming days.
Confirming the development, Alkasim AbdulKadir, spokesman to the Foreign Affairs Minister, told ARISE News that the consultations were indeed underway. According to him, the Nigerian delegation formally presented an “appeal for prisoner exchange” to allow Ekweremadu to serve the remainder of his sentence in a Nigerian correctional facility.
The move follows sustained appeals from political, community, and religious groups in Nigeria, many of whom have argued that Ekweremadu — convicted in 2023 for organ trafficking-related offenses under UK law — deserves to complete his term closer to home for humanitarian and consular reasons.
However, the diplomatic push has also generated mixed reactions across Nigeria’s legal and civil society community. Critics argue that while consular intervention is legitimate, the intensity of government effort appears disproportionate when compared to the limited support often extended to hundreds of other Nigerians jailed abroad. Some legal analysts, including senior lawyers, also note that the UK’s prisoner-transfer regulations are strict, requiring a clear legal framework, UK approval, and the prisoner’s consent before repatriation can occur.
Despite the divided public opinion, government officials maintain that Nigeria is acting within standard diplomatic practice. They insist the request does not seek to overturn Ekweremadu’s conviction but aims only to secure a lawful transfer under international correctional cooperation guidelines.
For now, the British government has made no public decision on the request, and the process — if approved — may take months of formal documentation and bilateral procedural alignment.
Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry says updates will be provided as consultations continue.