The failed bid by the Nigerian government to bring back the former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu to Nigeria was as suspicious as the United Kingdom’s rejection of the bid was a huge embarrassment to Nigeria.
Last week, the UK government rejected the Nigerian government’s request to transfer Ekweremadu, to serve the remainder of his prison term in Nigeria.
Ekweremadu was convicted in March 2023 and sentenced to nine years and eight months in the UK for conspiring to exploit a young man’s kidney.
Beatrice, his wife, and Obinna Obeta, a doctor involved in the case, were also found guilty and sentenced.
Earlier in November, President Bola Tinubu sent a high-level delegation to London to discuss Ekweremadu’s case and explore the possibility of him serving the remainder of his prison term in Nigeria.
However, quoting an unnamed official of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), media reports claimed the Nigerian government’s request was rejected.
The UK government was said to have expressed concerns that Nigeria could not offer guarantees that Ekweremadu would continue his prison sentence after being deported. It added that prisoner transfer is at its discretion following a careful assessment of whether it would be in the interests of justice.
The UK said it would not tolerate modern slavery, adding that any offender would face the full force of its law. It expressed doubt that the federal government will allow Ekweremadu to continue his prison term in Nigeria if allowed to come to Nigeria.
For many Nigerians, the request by Tinubu was very shocking and suspicious. Many questions are agitating their minds on the motive behind the request.
What was the motive behind this plot? Was the request at the instance of Ekweremadu? Did the federal government plan to bring him back and subsequently free him? Since everything in the country is about 2027, was there any political undertone?
Was the federal government saying that Ekweremadu would be more comfortable with the facilities in the Nigerian prisons than the ones in UK prisons?
