Nigerian Government Signs Deal to Transfer Prisoners from Ethiopia

The Nigerian government has signed an agreement with Ethiopia to transfer over 100 Nigerians who are serving jail sentences in Ethiopia back to Nigeria.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made this known in a statement. She said the agreement was set to be signed on Wednesday.

Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu arrived in Addis Ababa to sign the deal with the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi. They were welcomed by Ethiopia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and the Chief of Protocol.

“The signature ceremony takes place this afternoon,” Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.

The delegation left Nigeria for Addis Ababa on Tuesday after President Bola Tinubu ordered the immediate repatriation of Nigerian nationals serving prison sentences there, according to Punch newspapers.

This agreement follows long efforts by the Nigerian government to safely bring home its citizens. Last October, Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu pointed out that the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) had been delayed because the Ethiopian government was slow in wrapping up the process.

“Four Nigerian prisoners have died during the time it has taken for the negotiations, judicial vetting and this final ratification process,” Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.

She also stressed that Nigeria cannot afford to lose “any more precious lives.”

“We are determined to bring home the living. The agreement we signed today is based on the principles of humanity, justice, and cooperation between our two nations,” she added.

The welfare of Nigerian prisoners in Ethiopian jails has been a major concern for a while. Reports have shown the poor conditions in the prisons. Inmates are crammed into overcrowded spaces and lack good medical care, food, and proper hygiene.

Many of them are in prison for drug-related crimes, but there are worries that some were wrongly jailed or did not receive proper legal help.

In 2023, public anger led the Senate to order an investigation into how 250 Nigerians ended up in custody in Ethiopia.