President Bola Tinubu has directed a high-level government delegation to Ethiopia to facilitate the return of almost 300 Nigerian citizens currently serving prison sentences in the country.
The delegation, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, is expected to negotiate and sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ethiopian government that will allow the inmates to be transferred to Nigeria to complete their jail terms.
Presidential and diplomatic sources disclosed that the officials departed for Addis Ababa following a directive from the President, who ordered immediate action to secure the prisoners’ return.
According to one official, the mission is aimed at ensuring the inmates continue serving their sentences in Nigerian correctional facilities instead of remaining in Ethiopia.
Another source revealed that the urgency of the intervention stems from the worsening condition of the prisoners, alleging that several inmates are suffering from poor living conditions and that deaths have occurred among them.
The development represents President Tinubu’s first direct intervention in a matter that has remained unresolved through diplomatic engagements for more than three years.
Government figures indicate that over 270 Nigerians are imprisoned in Ethiopia, with many detained for drug-related offences. Most are held at Kaliti Prison in Addis Ababa, where rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns over overcrowding, inadequate medical care, poor nutrition and alleged physical abuse.
Several Nigerian inmates have reportedly died in custody in recent years, including Chizoba Favour Eze in March 2023, Uchenna Nwanneneme in September 2023 after battling tuberculosis, and Basil Lawrence Ilobi.
Their deaths prompted protests from Nigeria’s diplomatic mission in Ethiopia and renewed appeals from families for the Federal Government to establish a prisoner transfer arrangement.
In November 2024, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission to facilitate the inmates’ return after Ethiopia reportedly admitted difficulties in funding the care of foreign prisoners. However, the order did not result in immediate action.
During a diplomatic meeting in April 2025, Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated that Nigeria had completed its obligations for the proposed prisoner transfer agreement and urged Ethiopia to finalise the process, stressing that Nigerians did not want to witness another inmate die in Ethiopian custody.
The Ethiopian Ambassador to Nigeria, Legesse Geremew Haile, acknowledged the strong bilateral relationship between both countries but explained that the agreement was still awaiting approval by Ethiopia’s legislature.
Families of the affected inmates again appealed to President Tinubu and relevant government agencies in September 2025 to activate the transfer arrangement.
While Ethiopia approved prisoner transfer agreements with countries such as China and Brazil in January 2026, along with an extradition agreement with South Africa, a similar pact with Nigeria has yet to be implemented.
Advocacy groups maintain that many Nigerians detained at Kaliti Prison were arrested while transiting through Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport on drug-related allegations, with some families insisting their relatives were unknowingly used as drug couriers.