The United Kingdom has declined the Federal Government’s request to allow former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in Nigeria.

Ekweremadu is currently in a UK correctional facility after he was convicted in 2023 for conspiring to harvest the kidney of a young man. He was handed a prison term of nine years and eight months in a case that attracted global attention due to its nature and high-profile personalities involved.

Recently, a Nigerian delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, held discussions with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) seeking the transfer of Ekweremadu to Nigeria. The request, however, was turned down.

According to The Guardian UK, MoJ officials rejected the appeal over concerns that Nigeria could not provide sufficient assurances that Ekweremadu would continue serving his sentence if deported.

A source quoted in the report said: “The UK will not tolerate modern slavery, and any offender will face the full force of UK law.”

Following this development, Ekweremadu will remain in the United Kingdom to complete his sentence.

Meanwhile, his wife, Beatrice Ekweremadu—who was sentenced to four years and six months and served half of it in custody—was released earlier this year and has since returned to Nigeria.