The Federal Government of Nigeria and the Government of Ethiopia have officially signed a Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement, clearing the way for approximately 98 Nigerian inmates currently serving prison sentences in Ethiopia to be repatriated home to complete their terms.
The bilateral pact was signed at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Addis Ababa by Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, and his Ethiopian counterpart, Hanna Arayaselassie. The agreement was facilitated by the foreign ministers of both nations.
According to Ethiopian authorities, 96 males and two females are the likely beneficiaries of the deal. To qualify for the transfer, inmates must provide formal consent and have at least one year remaining on their prison sentences. The majority of the affected Nigerians are currently held in the Aba Samuel and Kaliti Prisons.
Following the signing, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, led a delegation on Thursday, June 11, to visit the inmates at the Aba Samuel Prison to deliver a message of assurance from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
”Your country won’t forsake you,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu told the inmates, explaining that the diplomatic milestone was driven by the “citizen diplomacy” core of the Tinubu administration’s 4-D (Diplomacy, Democracy, Development, and Demography) foreign policy agenda.
The Minister revealed that at least four Nigerian inmates passed away while negotiations, judicial vetting, and final procedures for the agreement were being concluded. While emphasizing that the deal was rooted in humanity and justice, she strictly warned the inmates that the repatriation was not a “license for impunity.”
Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged the prisoners to cooperate with correctional facilities to expedite their documentation. She also implored them to utilize the opportunity for personal rehabilitation, self-improvement, and to chart a legitimate path forward upon their return to Nigeria.
Representing the Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Assistant Controller General (Operations), Aminu Yusuf, assured the inmates of the service’s readiness to process them. Yusuf stated that the returnees would initially be received at the Kuje Correctional Centre before being relocated to facilities closer to their families, at the discretion of the Controller General.
The announcement sparked emotional celebrations among the inmates, who expressed gratitude toward President Tinubu, the diplomatic delegation, and their defense counsel, Abumchukwu Okoye. Speaking on behalf of the detainees, an inmate spokesperson praised the agreement and pledged that they would maintain good conduct throughout the repatriation process and beyond.
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