Nigeria Police Dismiss Tribal Claims in Adebiyi Extradition

The Nigeria Police Force, represented by new media officer Aliyu Giwa, has rejected the notion that the extradition of Matthew Chukwuemeka Adebiyi, a suspect in the murder of Joshua Boadu and drug trafficking, is based on tribal affiliations. Adebiyi, whose mother is Igbo and father is Yoruba, has been a fugitive since fleeing the UK in June 2018 after being charged with supplying crack cocaine.

The police clarified that justice is not influenced by ethnicity, emphasizing that neither the victim's death nor the extradition process has any ethnic dimension. Adebiyi was arrested on January 23, 2025, following a formal extradition request submitted by UK authorities to Interpol in September 2024.

The Federal High Court in Lagos approved his extradition on February 16, 2026, and he is expected to be handed over to UK law enforcement at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. The police reiterated their commitment to international law enforcement cooperation and delivering justice.