Dozens of Nigerians remain locked up in Ethiopian prisons as the long-awaited transfer agreement between both countries continues to drag, despite diplomatic pressure and a subsisting court order.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which would allow Nigerians convicted in Ethiopia to complete their sentences at home, has yet to be ratified by the Ethiopian government.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, speaking through her media aide, Magnus Eze, said Nigeria had done its part and blamed the delay on Addis Ababa.
“The ministry has fulfilled its own side of the formalities for the Transfer of Sentenced Persons MoU. It is the Ethiopian side that is stalling,” she said.
Figures released last year showed that more than 270 Nigerians are serving jail terms in Ethiopia, mostly for drug-related offences.
Families and rights groups have repeatedly raised alarm over the conditions in detention centres.
President-General of the My Dreamalive Development Foundation, Ambassador Onwuka Collins, condemned the situation, calling the prisons “deplorable.”
“It is sad that some Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons have already died due to these harsh conditions, while others are suffering from illnesses, including kidney stones and stroke. We cannot continue to watch helplessly as our brothers languish in prison without a fair trial. We, therefore, need urgent help,” Collins said.
He further alleged abuse, citing “inadequate food which is often self-made, inadequate medical care and negligence, brutal treatment, as well as extortion by prison officials.”
In November 2024, a Federal High Court ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) to ensure the transfer of Nigerians imprisoned in Ethiopia.
The court also observed that Ethiopian authorities had admitted they lacked funds to cater for foreign inmates.
The Nigerian government renewed its push on April 17, 2025, when Odumegwu-Ojukwu led a delegation to meet the Ethiopian Ambassador to Nigeria, Legesse Geremew Haile.
“Our people don’t want to hear that another Nigerian inmate died in Ethiopian prison,” the minister warned, accusing Ethiopia of failing to show the political will to conclude the agreement.
Ambassador Haile acknowledged the strong bilateral ties with Nigeria but admitted the MoU was still awaiting ratification by Ethiopia’s House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, the prolonged delay has cost lives. On March 12, 2023, Favour Eze, an inmate at Kaliti Prison in Addis Ababa, reportedly died after being brutalised by prison officials.
Another Nigerian, Uchenna Nwanneneme, died on September 21, 2023, of tuberculosis after allegedly receiving little or no medical attention.
