Beatrice Ekweremadu, wife of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, has returned to Nigeria following her release from a United Kingdom prison, marking her first visit home since the start of a high-profile legal case in 2022.
She arrived in Abuja on Tuesday, January 21, 2026, and was received by family members and close associates at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. Her return has since sparked celebrations in her hometown of Mpu, Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Beatrice Ekweremadu was convicted in May 2023 by a London court for conspiring to facilitate the travel of a 21-year-old Lagos street trader to the UK for illegal kidney harvesting. The organ was allegedly intended for her daughter, Sonia Ekweremadu, who suffers from a chronic kidney condition.
The case, heard at the Old Bailey, was prosecuted under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015, marking the first time the legislation was applied in an organ-harvesting prosecution. She was sentenced to four years and six months in prison but was released after serving half of her sentence, in line with UK rules for non-violent offenders.
Reports indicate that her early release was aided by good conduct while in custody and broader UK efforts to reduce prison overcrowding.
Her husband, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, remains incarcerated in the UK, serving a sentence of nine years and eight months after being identified by the court as the principal architect of the scheme. Efforts by the Nigerian government to secure his release or transfer to Nigeria have so far been unsuccessful. A proposed Prisoner Transfer Agreement in late 2025 was reportedly rejected by the UK Home Office over concerns about enforcement of the sentence in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Dr. Obinna Obeta, described by prosecutors as the medical intermediary in the plot, is still serving a 10-year prison sentence in the UK.
Their daughter, Sonia Ekweremadu, who was cleared of all charges, continues to reside in the UK where she is receiving ongoing medical treatment.
Despite the celebrations surrounding Beatrice Ekweremadu’s return, the case remains one of Nigeria’s most controversial legal episodes abroad, continuing to draw public debate over ethics, justice, and the limits of parental desperation.
