About 98 Nigerians serving prison sentences in Ethiopia are set to be repatriated to Nigeria following the signing of a prisoner transfer agreement between both countries.
The development was announced during a visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, to Nigerian inmates at Aba Samuel Prison in Ethiopia, where she conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s assurance that the country had not abandoned them.
The agreement, signed in Addis Ababa on June 10, allows convicted Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons to serve the remainder of their jail terms in Nigeria. Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, signed the pact on behalf of Nigeria, while Ethiopia’s Minister of Justice, Hanna Arayaselassie, signed for her country.
According to Ethiopian authorities, about 98 inmates — including two women — are eligible for transfer under the arrangement, provided they consent to the move and have at least one year remaining on their sentences.
Addressing the inmates, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the agreement was a product of the Tinubu administration’s citizen diplomacy policy and was guided by humanitarian considerations and cooperation between both countries.
She disclosed that four Nigerian inmates died during the period of negotiations and legal processes leading to the conclusion of the agreement.
The minister urged the inmates to cooperate with authorities by completing the required documentation for their transfer and reminded them that the arrangement should not be seen as an excuse for criminal behaviour.
She also encouraged them to embrace rehabilitation and self-improvement, assuring them of the government’s
