The United Kingdom has declined a request from the Nigerian government to deport former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is serving a prison sentence for organ trafficking. The development was reported on Monday by The Guardian UK.

A delegation sent by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met officials of the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on November 10, 2025, seeking approval for Ekweremadu to complete his sentence in Nigeria. The team, led by Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, assured the UK that Nigeria would enforce the remaining jail term.

Ekweremadu, 63, was sentenced in 2023 to nine years and eight months after being convicted—alongside his wife, Beatrice, and associate, Dr. Obinna Obeta—of conspiring to exploit a young man by harvesting his kidney for a transplant for his daughter. The case was the first organ-trafficking conviction under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act.

However, UK authorities rejected the transfer request, citing concerns that Nigeria might not be able to guarantee that Ekweremadu would continue serving his full sentence if returned.

With the refusal, Ekweremadu will remain in a UK prison despite Nigeria’s diplomatic push for his repatriation.