More than 100 Nigerian inmates serving prison terms in Ethiopia are set to return home following the signing of a landmark prisoner transfer agreement between Nigeria and Ethiopia, bringing to fruition years of diplomatic engagement and advocacy efforts.
According to a report by TheCable, negotiations for the agreement gained momentum after a series of deaths and allegations of maltreatment involving Nigerian prisoners in Ethiopian correctional facilities.
The push for a transfer arrangement intensified in 2019 following the death of Nigerian inmate Odemu Efe at Kaliti Prison in Addis Ababa, reportedly due to medical negligence. Subsequent reports of poor treatment and additional inmate deaths further heightened calls for intervention by the Nigerian government.
In 2023, the Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, publicly expressed concern over the conditions faced by Nigerian inmates in Ethiopia. She disclosed that the Nigerian mission in Ethiopia had proposed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) through the Nigerian Correctional Service to facilitate the transfer of sentenced Nigerians back home to complete their jail terms.
Speaking during an engagement with Senator Victor Umeh, then Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora Affairs and Non-Governmental Organisations, Dabiri-Erewa revealed that discussions on the proposed agreement had begun during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
TheCable reported that progress on the initiative stalled after Ethiopia granted amnesty to some Nigerian prisoners in 2019, only for several of the released inmates to be re-arrested for allegedly returning to criminal activities, including drug trafficking and fraud.
Senator Umeh subsequently threw his weight behind the initiative. In October 2023, alongside then Senate Minority Leader Simon Mwadkwon, he sponsored a motion calling for an urgent investigation into reports of killings and maltreatment of Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons. He later renewed calls for government intervention on the Senate floor in December of the same year.
The campaign for the inmates’ return received further support in 2024 when a Federal High Court in Abuja directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NiDCOM to take steps toward securing the return of detained Nigerians from Ethiopian prisons.
The breakthrough finally came on June 12, 2026, when Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, signed the prisoner transfer agreement with Ethiopia’s Minister of Justice, Hanna Arayaselassie.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by senior officials from both countries and marked the conclusion of years of negotiations, judicial reviews and diplomatic engagements.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, described the agreement as a humanitarian and justice-driven initiative that reflects the strong bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Ethiopia.
The agreement is expected to allow over 100 Nigerian inmates to return home to serve the remainder of their sentences under the Nigerian correctional system, offering relief to the prisoners and their families after years of uncertainty.
Source: TheCable
