- Five Nigerians have returned home after months of detention in Côte d’Ivoire
- The Federal Government plans to seek compensation over their ordeal
- One of the detainees died shortly after regaining his freedom
The Federal Government has announced plans to demand compensation from the Ivorian government after five Nigerians returned home following months of detention in Côte d’Ivoire without trial, while another member of the group died shortly after regaining his freedom.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the five returnees were welcomed in Abuja by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, alongside the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa Onilu, and other government representatives.
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Government officials explained that the group had travelled from Sokoto to Abidjan in August 2025 for commercial activities but were arrested and imprisoned despite not being formally charged with any offence or taken before a court.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigerian authorities only became aware of the case several months later. Following the discovery, the ministry directed the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan to begin diplomatic engagements with the Ivorian government, which eventually secured the release of the detainees.
Sadly, one of the Nigerians, Usama Murtala, died shortly after leaving prison. Officials said he fell seriously ill as a result of poor prison conditions and inadequate medical treatment. He passed away while receiving care at a hospital in Côte d’Ivoire and was buried there in accordance with Islamic traditions after consultations with his family.
Speaking during the reception ceremony, Odumegwu Ojukwu condemned the circumstances surrounding the detention, noting that the men spent months behind bars without facing any formal charges or trial.
She also blamed language barriers for worsening their situation, explaining that the detainees struggled to communicate in the French-speaking country and were unable to properly defend themselves or access legal assistance.
The minister described Murtala’s death as a painful reminder of the dangers many young Nigerians face when travelling abroad in search of better opportunities without adequate knowledge of foreign legal systems.
She disclosed that the Federal Government would engage the Ivorian authorities to seek compensation over the incident, insisting that the suffering experienced by the Nigerians should not go unanswered.
Odumegwu Ojukwu further advised Nigerians to avoid unsafe migration routes, warning that many citizens imprisoned abroad often become victims of unfamiliar laws and judicial processes.
She said the intervention was part of the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting Nigerians wherever they reside, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s citizen-focused foreign policy.
The minister also appealed to the Sokoto State Government to support the returnees through rehabilitation and empowerment programmes that would help them rebuild their lives after the ordeal.
One of the survivors, speaking on behalf of the group, said they travelled to Côte d’Ivoire for business but unexpectedly found themselves in detention under difficult conditions. He expressed gratitude to the Nigerian government for its diplomatic efforts, which led to their release and safe return home.
Before leaving Abuja, the five returnees received humanitarian support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other government institutions to assist them as they reunited with their families.
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