A new agreement between the United Kingdom and Nigeria may open the door for the return of Nigerians in the UK who have no legal right to remain, including convicted offenders.
The deal, signed during President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to the UK, covers failed asylum seekers, visa overstayers, and individuals serving prison sentences abroad.
Former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who was sentenced in March 2023 to nine years and eight months in a UK prison for organ trafficking, could be among those affected.
His conviction came after he attempted to bring a young Lagos man to the UK to provide a kidney for his daughter.
Ekweremadu’s wife, Beatrice, served a four-and-a-half-year sentence and returned to Nigeria in January 2025.
A doctor involved in the case was also sentenced under UK laws on modern slavery.
The Nigerian government had previously sought to have Ekweremadu transferred to Nigeria before completing his UK sentence.
A delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney General visited the UK in November 2025, but the request was refused, with UK authorities citing doubts that Nigeria would ensure the sentence continued.
The new migration agreement, signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and the UK Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, allows for the return of Nigerians who have exhausted their asylum rights or are convicted offenders awaiting deportation.
A government source told Punch that Ekweremadu could potentially benefit from the agreement, but no decision has been made.
“It may happen; I cannot overrule it. But at the moment, nothing of that nature is on the table. Any such arrangement would require coordination between the relevant legal authorities in both countries,” the official said.
