Tinubu Sends Top Officials To UK To Discuss Ike Ekweremadu’s Detention

A Nigerian delegation dispatched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu held talks with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice on November 10, focusing on the detention of former Deputy Senate President Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

Ekweremadu has been held in the UK since March 2023 following his conviction for conspiring to bring a young man to Britain to exploit him for his kidney, a violation of the Modern Slavery Act. He was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison, marking the first verdict of its kind under the law.

The delegation included Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Maitama Tuggar and Attorney General and Minister of Justice Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi. After the meeting, they were received at the Nigerian High Commission in London by Acting High Commissioner Mohammed Maidugu.

The intervention highlights the Tinubu administration’s renewed diplomatic effort on a high-profile legal case involving a Nigerian public figure.

It follows a history of Nigeria engaging with the UK legal system on prominent matters, including the prosecution of former Delta State Governor James Ibori for fraud and money laundering and the P&ID arbitration case, in which a London court overturned a multi-billion-dollar award against Nigeria due to evidence of fraud and bribery.