The Federal Government of Nigeria is making moves to secure the transfer of former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is currently serving a nine-year sentence in the United Kingdom for organ harvesting.

A high-level Nigerian delegation was dispatched to the UK on Monday to engage British authorities on the matter. The delegation, which held a meeting with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice in London, was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).

Following the meeting, the team was received at the Nigerian High Commission in London by Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu, the Acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

Credible government sources revealed that the engagement formed part of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to secure either Ekweremadu’s early release or a review of his sentence on humanitarian and legal grounds.

According to officials familiar with the talks, the Nigerian government is exploring several options, including a prisoner-transfer arrangement, compassionate parole, or other relief mechanisms available under UK law.

“We are working on an appeal for a prisoner exchange so that he can serve the remainder of his term in Nigeria,” a top official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Daily Trust, adding that “consultations are still ongoing with UK authorities.”

Senator Ekweremadu, a veteran lawmaker and three-time Deputy President of the Senate, was convicted alongside his wife, Beatrice, and a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta, at the Old Bailey in March 2023.