Ethiopia prisoner transfer deal aligns with Renewed Hope agenda — FG

Nigeria's Federal Government has announced a significant diplomatic milestone with Ethiopia, finalizing an agreement to repatriate incarcerated Nigerians. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, stated that the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement is a key component of President Bola Tinubu’s 'Renewed Hope Agenda,' emphasizing citizen diplomacy and the welfare of Nigerians in the diaspora.

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Essentially, if prisoners have been sentenced in one country and they are serving a jail term in that country, they can return to their state or country of origin to serve out the sentence.

The agreement aims to allow Nigerian prisoners sentenced in Ethiopia to serve their remaining jail terms in Nigeria. This move addresses long-standing agitations from inmates facing precarious living conditions, including health challenges, inadequate medical facilities, poor feeding, and language barriers. The minister highlighted that four Nigerian prisoners had died while the agreement was being finalized, underscoring the urgency of the situation.

Amb. Odumegwu-Ojukwu refuted a widely circulated list claiming 136 Nigerian inmates in Ethiopia, labeling it as fake and inaccurate. She stressed that crime knows no ethnic or regional affiliation and dismissed allegations that the prisoners hailed from a particular region. The government is committed to bringing these individuals home to serve their sentences with dignity, ensuring they are not subjected to inhumane conditions.

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This is important because the inmates in those prisons have been agitating for so many years to return to Nigeria to complete their jail terms.

Efforts to secure the prisoners' return have been ongoing for years, hampered by difficulties in obtaining accurate data. The agreement is crucial for addressing the challenges faced by Nigerians detained in Ethiopia's maximum-security facilities, Kaliti and Aba Samuel prisons. The government's determination to facilitate their return reflects a commitment to intervening in cases involving Nigerians facing difficulties abroad.

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Some of these young people that I saw when I went into that prison could have been anybody’s brother. So, should they be faced with such a precarious situation for one mistake?