Leaders of major South-East socio-political groups have expressed divergent views over the Federal Government’s move to transfer former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, from a United Kingdom correctional facility to a Nigerian custodial centre.
The initiative followed high-level diplomatic engagements between Nigerian and UK officials over Ekweremadu’s continued imprisonment.
Ekweremadu, convicted in the UK for organ trafficking, was arrested alongside his wife, Beatrice, in June 2022 by the London Metropolitan Police.
The couple were accused of presenting a young man as a relative of their daughter, Sonia, in an attempt to facilitate a kidney transplant.
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In 2023, a UK court found them guilty under the Modern Slavery Act, sentencing Ekweremadu to nine years and eight months, while Beatrice received four years and six months.
Beatrice has since completed her term and returned to Nigeria earlier this year.
President Bola Tinubu recently dispatched a delegation to London, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi.
The delegation met officials of the UK Ministry of Justice to discuss Ekweremadu’s case and the possibility of a transfer.
They also visited the Nigerian High Commission in London, where the Acting High Commissioner, Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu, received them.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the President of the Igbo National Council, Chilos Godsent, questioned the motive behind the government’s intervention.
He said, “Are they bringing him back to Nigeria to set him free or bringing him back to put him on trial, or to let him continue his jail term? These things are not really clear.”
He accused the previous administration of negligence, arguing that the UK should not have tried a sitting Nigerian senator.
Godsent added, “That was negligence on the part of the Nigerian government.”
Similarly, the President of the Ala-Igbo Development Foundation, Prof Awuzie Unachukwu, expressed doubts about the move.
He said, “If it is appreciated that Senator Ekweremadu should come back having paid his dues, why does this same government shy away from releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu?”
Unachukwu argued that if the government’s motives were not political, Kanu should also be released.
He added that Ekweremadu should not be returned to Nigeria to continue a jail term.
However, the Deputy President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, dismissed claims of political motives.
Isiguzoro stated, “Ohanaeze is supporting the President and we are at the forefront to ensure that the President repatriates and rehabilitates him.”
He argued that Ekweremadu had played significant roles for the South-East in the past.
Isiguzoro said, “The senator has paid his dues in the region and to Igbo nation.”
Also speaking, the Abia State PDP Chairman, Abraham Amah, said the government’s action should be viewed within a humanitarian framework.
He said, “What ultimately matters is whether the action aligns with national interest, compassion, and due process.”
The President-General of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, Goodluck Ibem, also backed the move.
He said, “This move is not just about a singular individual; it is about fostering a sense of justice and integrity.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government is seeking to revive the dormant Nigeria–UK Prisoner Transfer Agreement signed in 2014.
The agreement was designed to allow convicted persons to serve their sentences in their home countries.
To support implementation, the UK built a 112-bed wing at the Kirikiri Custodial Centre in Lagos, but no prisoner has been transferred under the scheme.
The spokesperson for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim AbdulKadir, confirmed ongoing discussions with UK authorities.
He said, “Consultations are still ongoing with UK authorities on the matter.”
At the 2025 Nigeria–UK Migration, Justice, and Home Affairs Dialogue, both countries restated their commitment to reviving the agreement.
The joint communique called for a review to align with the Nigerian Correctional Services Act of 2019.
Nigeria’s correctional centres continue to face severe overcrowding, with over 70,000 inmates nationwide.
The Federal Government has recently inaugurated new correctional facilities across several states to address the challenge.
Efforts to speak with the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, were unsuccessful.
