The Federal Government has said the prisoner transfer agreement signed with Ethiopia, aimed at bringing Nigerian inmates back home, aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and citizen diplomacy policy.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said the agreement represents a major diplomatic achievement focused on protecting the welfare of Nigerians living abroad.
She explained that the deal will allow Nigerian citizens convicted in Ethiopia to return home and complete their prison sentences under better conditions.
The minister dismissed reports claiming that Nigeria has 136 inmates in Ethiopian prisons, describing the circulating list as fake. She said only 98 Nigerian prisoners in Kaliti and Aba Samuel prisons are covered by the agreement.
According to her, many of the inmates had faced difficult conditions, including poor healthcare, inadequate feeding, limited legal support, language barriers, and restrictions on visits.
She revealed that four Nigerian prisoners died while both countries were working to finalise the agreement.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu rejected claims that the prisoners would be released after returning to Nigeria, explaining that the agreement prevents any pardon or amnesty without Ethiopia’s approval.
She also stressed that crime has no ethnic or regional identity, noting that the inmates involved are Nigerian citizens from different parts of the country.
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