Beatrice Ekweremadu returns to Nigeria as husband remains in UK Prison

Beatrice Ekweremadu arrived in Abuja on Tuesday following early release from prison, while her husband Ike Ekweremadu continues serving his sentence in the UK for organ trafficking conspiracy.

Beatrice Ekweremadu, wife of former Nigerian Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, touched down at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Tuesday, January 21, 2026, marking her first return to Nigeria since her arrest in mid-2022. Family members and close associates gathered to welcome her home following her release from a UK prison.

The homecoming triggered celebrations in Mpu, Enugu State, where the Ekweremadu family hails from. However, the joy was tempered by the continued imprisonment of her husband in the United Kingdom.

In May 2023, Beatrice Ekweremadu was convicted at London’s Old Bailey for conspiring to facilitate the travel of a 21-year-old Lagos street trader to the UK for kidney harvesting. The organ was intended for the couple’s daughter, Sonia, who suffers from a chronic kidney condition.

The case made legal history as the first prosecution under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 involving organ harvesting. Beatrice received a sentence of four years and six months but was released after serving approximately half her term—a standard practice in the UK for non-violent offenders demonstrating good behaviour.

Sources indicate that her early release was also influenced by ongoing UK government efforts to address prison overcrowding.

Senator Ike Ekweremadu, identified by prosecutors as the principal organizer of the scheme, is serving a significantly longer sentence of nine years and eight months. He remains incarcerated in the UK with no immediate prospect of release.

Efforts by the Nigerian government to secure his transfer or early release have proven unsuccessful. A proposed Prisoner Transfer Agreement negotiated in late 2025 was reportedly rejected by the UK Home Office, which expressed concerns about whether the sentence would be properly enforced if Ekweremadu were transferred to Nigerian custody.

Dr. Obinna Obeta, described as the medical intermediary in the organ trafficking arrangement, is also serving time in a UK prison with a 10-year sentence.

Sonia Ekweremadu, the couple’s daughter and the intended transplant recipient, was cleared of all charges in the case. She remains in the United Kingdom, where she continues to receive medical treatment for her kidney condition.

The case has drawn significant attention both in Nigeria and internationally, raising questions about organ trafficking, medical ethics, and the vulnerability of impoverished individuals who may be exploited in such schemes. It has also highlighted the strict enforcement of modern slavery laws in the UK, even when cases involve prominent foreign officials.

As Beatrice Ekweremadu begins to rebuild her life in Nigeria, her husband faces several more years of imprisonment abroad, with diplomatic efforts to bring him home having so far failed to bear fruit.