- Five Nigerian youths have been successfully repatriated to Abuja from Abidjan’s MACA Prison following months of intense diplomatic interventions by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- The victims, originally from Sokoto, were detained in August 2025 without a trial or formal charges, facing severe language barriers that prevented them from seeking legal aid.
- Tragically, one of the detainees, Usama Murtala, died from harsh prison conditions a day after their release, prompting the Federal Government to demand compensation from Ivorian authorities.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has successfully secured the release and repatriation of five Nigerian citizens who had been unlawfully detained at the MACA Prison in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the returnees arrived safely at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, where they were officially received by a high-powered government delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, alongside other prominent government officials.
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This development follows months of intense and sustained diplomatic engagements aimed at correcting a grave injustice faced by these young compatriots.
According to an official statement issued on Wednesday and signed by Magnus Eze, the Special Assistant on Communication and New Media to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the group of young men originally consisted of six individuals: Malam Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa’adu Bello, Lyman Mohammed, Usama Murtala, and Aliyu Malami.
Tragically, the government revealed that one of the detainees, Usama Murtala, passed away shortly after their release.
The statement detailed that the youths had embarked on a trading trip, traveling by road all the way from Sokoto State to Abidjan in August 2025.
Upon their arrival in Côte d’Ivoire, they were arrested and thrown into prison without any formal charge sheet or legal trial.
The Federal Government only became aware of the plight of these citizens in April 2026. Immediately upon receiving the information, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu directed the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan to intervene decisively.
Through the unrelenting efforts of the Nigerian mission and high-level diplomatic channels, their freedom was eventually secured.
However, the victory was bittersweet. Usama Murtala, who fell severely ill due to the notoriously harsh conditions of the prison and a lack of adequate medical care, died at a critical care hospital on June 24, 2026, just a day after regaining his freedom.
Following consultations with his grieving family back home in Sokoto, he was buried the next day in Côte d’Ivoire in accordance with Islamic rites.
Reflecting on the painful circumstances of the case, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu explained that the long delay in intervention was primarily because Nigerian authorities were completely unaware of the citizens’ detention.
She lamented that the lack of accountability in their arrest meant there was no paperwork or legal trial to alert anyone.
Furthermore, the minister pointed out that severe language barriers played a detrimental role.
Being in a French-speaking country while only speaking English, the young men were unable to communicate effectively, understand the local judicial system, or gain proper access to legal representation.
They simply did not stand a chance against the system they were caught in.
The minister characterized the tragic demise of Usama Murtala as a sobering reminder of the extreme risks encountered by young Nigerians who engage in irregular migration or journey into unfamiliar territories in search of opportunities.
She announced that the Nigerian government intends to officially take up the matter with the Ivorian authorities to demand appropriate compensation for the wrongful detention and the tragic loss of life.
She emphasized that the successful intervention aligns perfectly with President Bola Tinubu’s Citizen Diplomacy initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda, which places the highest priority on protecting the welfare of Nigerian citizens globally.
Additionally, the Minister of Foreign Affairs extended a passionate appeal to the Sokoto State Government to step in and assist in the comprehensive rehabilitation of the five surviving returnees.
The Federal Government has already formally written to the Sokoto authorities, requesting targeted capacity-building and skill acquisition opportunities to help these young men rebuild their lives after enduring such immense psychological and physical trauma.
Speaking on behalf of his fellow returnees, Aliyu Malami expressed profound gratitude to the Federal Government for saving their lives, noting that the harsh prison conditions and their inability to explain themselves due to language barriers had left them completely hopeless.
To support their immediate reintegration, the minister presented the returnees with support packages provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and other partner bodies before they were reunited with their families.
