Mrs. Beatrice Ekweremadu, wife of former Deputy Senate President Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has returned to Nigeria after her release from a UK prison.
Reports indicate she arrived in the country on Tuesday, marking a significant development in a case that garnered widespread international attention.
A former Special Adviser to Ekweremadu confirmed the release to newsmen but declined to provide further details. However, local media sources report that Mrs. Ekweremadu is now back in Enugu.
Her return follows a six-year prison sentence handed down by a UK court in May 2023 for her involvement in a controversial organ-harvesting case.
Senator Ekweremadu, who also faced trial alongside his wife and medical doctor, Dr. Obinna Obeta, received a ten-year prison sentence for his role in the incident. Dr. Obeta was also convicted in the case, which became a focal point for discussions on human trafficking and ethical medical practices.
While Mrs. Ekweremadu’s sentence officially stood at six years, questions have arisen regarding her early release. Typically, prisoners in the UK serve 50% of their sentence before becoming eligible for release. However, factors such as the period spent on remand—reportedly from late June or early July 2022—are deducted from the sentence. Even with these considerations, Mrs Ekweremadu would not have served the expected three years.
The most plausible explanation for her early release appears to be the ongoing prison overcrowding crisis in the UK. Under recent measures aimed at alleviating overcrowding, certain prisoners serving sentences of over five years and who have completed at least 40% of their term are being considered for early release.
This policy may have applied to Mrs Ekweremadu, making her eligible for release despite falling short of the usual 50% threshold.
