A former senator, Shehu Sani, has called on the United Kingdom (UK) to accede to the Federal Government’s request to allow former Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, to return to Nigeria. In a statement posted on X on Monday, Sani argued that the longstanding diplomatic and historical relationship between both countries should inform the UK’s decision.

He said, “The UK should accede to the request of the FG and allow Senator Ekweremadu return home and complete his term. Cooperation on this matter would strengthen bilateral trust. One day, the UK may also request such favours from Nigeria.”

The appeal comes amid persistent efforts by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to secure the transfer of Ekweremadu’s case to Nigerian authorities, enabling him to serve the remainder of his sentence or undergo legal processes at home. Last week, a Nigerian delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, met with officials at the Ministry of Justice in the UK to press the request.

The United Kingdom government, however, rejected the proposal. According to an unnamed source cited by The Guardian UK, officials expressed concerns that Ekweremadu may not complete his sentence if repatriated.

Ekweremadu, 63, is serving a nine-year and eight-month sentence in a UK facility following his 2023 conviction for conspiring to harvest the kidney of a young man for a transplant for his daughter. His wife, Beatrice, received a four-year and six-month sentence, half of which she has served, and has since returned to Nigeria. Dr Obinna Obeta, a co-conspirator, was sentenced to ten years, with two-thirds to be served in custody.

During sentencing, Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson described the trio’s actions as part of a “despicable trade” and stated that organ harvesting constitutes a form of slavery, reducing human beings to commodities. He identified Ekweremadu as the “driving force” behind the scheme and noted that his conviction marked a “very substantial fall from grace.”

The case, prosecuted under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act, was the first organ trafficking conviction in the country and has continued to attract attention in Nigeria, where government and civil society groups are pressing for his return.