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Organ Transplant Scandal : Tinubu engages UK, seeks Ekweremadu’s transfer to Nigeria

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President Bola Tinubu has sent a high-level delegation to London to discuss the case of a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who has been serving a prison sentence in the United Kingdom since March 2023.

Newsthumb gathered that the Federal Government is actively seeking arrangements that would allow Ekweremadu to serve the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria.

The delegation, which included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, on Monday held discussions with officials at the UK Ministry of Justice regarding Ekweremadu’s incarceration.

Following the meeting, the team was received at the Nigerian High Commission in London by the Acting High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu.

Confirming the development to Arise News on Monday night, the spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Minister, Alkasim AbdulKadir, said the consultations with UK authorities are ongoing.

He added that a formal request for a prisoner transfer to allow Ekweremadu to serve the remainder of his sentence in Nigeria has been submitted.

He said, “Consultations are still ongoing with UK authorities on the matter.

“An appeal for a prisoner exchange for him to serve the remainder of his term in Nigeria was tabled before the United Kingdom authorities.”

Our correspondence earlier reported that Ekweremadu and his wife were arrested by the London Metropolitan Police in June 2022, after a man was falsely presented to a private renal unit at Royal Free Hospital in London as a cousin to their daughter Sonia, in what turned out to be a failed attempt to persuade medics to carry out an £80,000 transplant.

Ike Ekweremadu was convicted in the UK for his role in organ trafficking after attempting to bring a 21-year-old Lagos street vendor to Britain for a kidney transplant intended for his daughter, Sonia.

The 21-year-old man, who was allegedly promised work in the UK, reported the matter to the police in May of the same year, stating that he was brought to the country for an organ transplant.

In March 2023, Ekweremadu was found guilty of organ trafficking by a UK court and was later, in May, sentenced to nine years and eight months under the UK Modern Slavery Act.

His wife, Beatrice, received a four-year and six-month sentence and was released early in 2025, while a medical intermediary, Dr Obinna Obeta, was handed a ten-year prison term.

However, in January, Beatrice was released from prison and returned to Nigeria.

The case drew widespread attention, sparking diplomatic discussions between Nigeria and the UK, exposing gaps in transplant regulations, and prompting further investigations in the UK.

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Update : Seyi Tinubu Responds to King Mitchy, VeryDarkMan Saga

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Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, has issued a statement debunking allegations linking him to a feud between social media personalities Martins Vincent Otse, popularly called VeryDarkMan, and Mitchell Mukoro, widely known as King Mitchy.

The controversy stems from claims suggesting an improper relationship or secret arrangements between Seyi Tinubu and King Mitchy, which VeryDarkMan has reportedly used to intensify his online narrative.

Our correspondence reports that philanthropist and content creator King Mitchy recently announced that she renovated a dilapidated school in six days, suggesting that the project was proof that meaningful change could happen swiftly when there was genuine intent.

However, she reportedly made comments widely interpreted as subtle jabs at VeryDarkMan, who, in turn, accused her of being used as a political pawn to launder the image of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Tagging the President’s son. VeryDarkMan was said to have alleged in another video that both Seyi Tinubu and King Mitchy were threatening his life.

Addressing the comments in a statement shared on Instagram on Saturday, Seyi Tinubu categorised the allegations and insinuations as false.

He clarified the nature of his interaction with King Mitchy, framing it strictly within the bounds of his long-standing philanthropic work.

Tinubu wrote, “I met Mitchy once, in a public setting, alongside others. On that occasion, I provided financial support toward her NGO activities, just as I have supported many young Nigerians and organisations working to empower our people.

“A follow-up meeting had been scheduled for me to receive an update on the impact of her NGO’s work following the donation. That meeting did not take place because I have been unwell.”

He categorically denied any private encounters, saying, “There has never been a private encounter, no secret arrangement, and no impropriety of any kind.”

Tinubu took direct aim at VeryDarkMan, accusing the activist of using a feud he had no part in to attack his reputation.

He wrote, “What is deeply concerning is that a feud I did not start, and in which I have played no part, has been used as a vehicle to insert my name into a narrative without basis in truth.

“For reasons best known to him, VDM appears to have been looking for a trigger, an opportunity to attack and attempt to harm my reputation and seized upon this situation to do so. I will not accept that.

“If my name generates attention, let us at least deal in facts. Supporting charitable causes is not a crime. Meeting someone publicly to support their NGO is not a scandal. Repeating falsehoods loudly does not transform them into truth.”

Tinubu asserted that he won’t be intimidated by “fictional” narratives, emphasising that he refuses to be bullied.

“I will not be bullied, and I will not dignify fiction with panic.

“I have experienced bullying before, and I understand the harm it can cause. That is why I take a firm stance against it,” he said.

Tinubu concluded by reaffirming his commitment to serving Nigerian youth through his foundation, insisting that “philanthropy and outreach must never be politicised or weaponised.”

“To those seeking to manufacture controversy: Nigeria needs builders, not bullies. We need responsible discourse, not sensationalism driven by speculation.

“I firmly reject the accusations made against me. I call for de-escalation, for restraint, and for a return to truth and responsibility,” he added.

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Security Reform: Tinubu Calls for Urgent Constitutional Backing for State Police

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…raises fresh alarm over terrorism, banditry at State House Iftar

…Akpabio pledges more support, vows no executive bill will die in Senate

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday night formally urged the Senate to begin the process of amending the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of state police, declaring that Nigeria must urgently restructure its security architecture to confront terrorism, banditry and insurgency.

Speaking at an interfaith breaking of fast with the leadership and members of the Senate at the State House, Abuja, the President said the time had come for lawmakers to “start thinking” about embedding state policing in the Constitution to enable governments at subnational levels better secure their territories.

“Nigeria is extremely challenged, we are facing terrorism, banditry, insurgency, but you never failed to make a right response to these calls. What I will ask for tonight is for you to start thinking how best to amend the Constitution to incorporate the state police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, free our children from fear”, Tinubu said.

The President’s latest appeal adds momentum to a campaign he has sustained since early in his administration.

In February 2024, during an emergency meeting with the 36 state governors at the State House, Tinubu approved the creation of a joint committee of federal and state representatives to explore modalities for establishing state police, insisting that the country must “move aggressively” to improve security of lives and property.

He renewed the call in November 2025, urging the National Assembly to begin reviewing relevant laws to allow states willing to establish their own policing structures to do so.

At the APC National Caucus meeting in December 2025, he again pressed governors and lawmakers to back constitutional reforms for state police and local government autonomy.

Only days ago, at an interfaith breaking of fast with governors at the Presidential Villa, the President declared that state police “can’t wait” and “will not be postponed,” urging preparations for what he described as a necessary shift in the nation’s security architecture.

At Wednesday’s gathering with senators, Tinubu framed the proposed reform as a constitutional obligation anchored on unity and shared responsibility.

“What you have faced in the challenging period of this country, the terrorism and banditry, is causing us havoc and we should pull together, unite in a way that our forefathers contemplated to bring about a constitutional democracy and pull us together. They didn’t say we should fight,” he said.

Beyond security, the President expressed deep appreciation to lawmakers for supporting what he described as bold and necessary economic reforms.

“I have a lot of credit for bold reforms. Without your collaborations, without your inspirations, those reforms are not possible. We are reformists together,” he said.

Tinubu defended the removal of petrol subsidy and foreign exchange reforms, describing them as steps taken to halt “monumental corruption.”

“What we gave up and what we stopped is a monumental corruption in subsidy. We gave it up. We don’t want to participate in monumental corruption, in arbitrage, foreign exchange,” he stated.

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According to him, the reforms have laid the foundation for economic stability.

“You don’t have to chase me for dollars. In the past, you could see what Nigeria is today. You should be proud… What we are enjoying is stable economy, prosperity beckoning on us. We just need to work hard for it,” he added.

Responding to criticisms from political opponents, the President dismissed claims that he was stifling opposition voices.

“When they accused me of killing oppositions, I didn’t have a gun… I can’t blame anybody from jumping out of a sinking ship if they did,” he said, in apparent reference to recent defections.

He described the coincidence of Ramadan and Lent as symbolic of national unity and called for continued harmony between the executive and legislature.

“We are committed to Nigerian entity succeeding. We are committed to make law for the welfare, prosperity of the country. I think we are committed together to govern together,” he said.

In his response, President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, assured the President of the chamber’s loyalty and continued cooperation.

“We have nothing to give to you than to assure you of our loyalty,” Akpabio said. “I’m sure you have noticed that nothing you have ever sent to us died in first reading, and it will never happen.”

He said the Senate painstakingly reviews executive proposals to ensure they serve national interest, even when they initially attract criticism.

“We sit down to painstakingly go through everything that comes before us, and then at the end, we see that it is in the interest of Nigerians, even when the social media is not seeing it,” he said.

Akpabio commended Tinubu’s tax reforms, foreign exchange unification, fuel subsidy removal and the recent electoral amendment, noting that the President promptly assented to the revised Electoral Act when convinced it served national interest.

He expressed optimism that by 2031, Nigeria would be more prosperous under Tinubu’s leadership and offered prayers for peace amid what he described as “troubles and sponsored insecurity” in parts of the country.

The Senate President also thanked Tinubu for appointing former Senator Jimoh Ibrahim as an ambassador, describing it as recognition of legislative talent.

The interfaith gathering ended with prayers for unity, wisdom and strength for the nation’s leaders as they navigate security and economic challenges.

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BREAKING: Tinubu Names Tunji Disu Acting Inspector General After Egbetokun’s Exit

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President Bola Tinubu has accepted the resignation of the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and approved the appointment of Tunji Disu as Acting Inspector-General of Police with immediate effect.

Our correspondent had earlier reported that Egbetokun tendered his resignation letter on Tuesday, citing pressing family considerations.

Appointed in June 2023, Egbetokun was serving a four-year term scheduled to conclude in June 2027, in line with the amended provisions of the Police Act.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President received the letter earlier on Tuesday and expressed appreciation for his service to the nation.

He also commended Egbetokun’s “decades of distinguished service to the Nigeria Police Force and the nation,” acknowledging his “dedication, professionalism, and steadfast commitment to strengthening internal security architecture during his tenure.”

“In view of the current security challenges confronting the nation, and acting in accordance with extant laws and legal guidance, President Tinubu has approved the appointment of Assistant Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu to serve as Acting Inspector-General of Police with immediate effect.

“The President is confident that AIG Disu’s experience, operational depth, and demonstrated leadership capacity will provide steady and focused direction for the Nigeria Police Force during this critical period,” the statement read.

It added that in compliance with the provisions of the Police Act 2020, the President will soon convene a meeting of the Nigeria Police Council to formally consider Disu’s appointment as substantive Inspector-General of Police, after which his name will be forwarded to the Senate for confirmation.

The President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to enhancing national security, strengthening institutional capacity, and ensuring that the Nigeria Police Force remains professional, accountable, and fully equipped to discharge its constitutional responsibilities.

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