The Nigeria Police Force has extradited Matthew Chukwuemeka Adebiyi to the United Kingdom to face trial over alleged murder and drug trafficking offences.
In a statement on Thursday, the Force spokesperson, Anthony Placid, said Adebiyi, was arrested on January 23, 2025, by operatives of INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja.
Placid said the extradition followed a request by UK authorities in September 2024 over Adebiyi’s alleged involvement in the murder of Joshua Boadu on June 18, 2018.
“The extradition followed a formal request by United Kingdom authorities in September 2024 to locate, arrest, and extradite the fugitive over his alleged involvement in the murder of one Joshua Boadu on 18th June 2018, after which he fled to Nigeria to evade arrest,” the statement read.
He added that the suspect was also accused of supplying crack cocaine, a Class-A controlled drug, in the UK between October 2017 and March 2018.
According to the police, extradition proceedings were initiated at the Federal High Court in Lagos after his arrest.
The court, presided over by Justice A.O. Faji, granted the application for extradition on February 16, 2026, after ruling that the office of the attorney-general of the federation met all legal requirements under Nigeria’s Extradition Act.
Following the court’s order and the issuance of a surrender warrant, Adebiyi was handed over to UK law enforcement officials on April 14, 2026, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport for prosecution.
