Beatrice Ekweremadu, wife of former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, has reportedly been released from prison in the United Kingdom and has returned to Nigeria.
Reports indicate that she arrived back on Tuesday to celebrate and pray for her husband’s safe return.
Beatrice and her husband were convicted in May 2023 on charges related to organ harvesting and trafficking. They had attempted to purchase a kidney from a young Nigerian boy to use as a donor for their daughter, Sophia. A UK court sentenced Beatrice to six years in prison, while Ike received a ten-year sentence, despite their claims of poor health during the trial.
The Ekweremadus’ conviction marked the first under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015. Their sentencing followed appeals from various prominent figures and organizations, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Other petitioners included members of both chambers of the National Assembly, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), and the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC).