Tinubu Won’t Abandon Nigerians in Ethiopian Prisons, Bianca Assures Inmates

Tinubu Won’t Abandon Nigerians in Ethiopian Prisons, Bianca Assures Inmates
98 Nigerians Set for Transfer from Ethiopian Prisons Under New Bilateral Agreement
Bianca Visits Nigerian Inmates in Ethiopia

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has assured Nigerians serving prison sentences in Ethiopia that the Federal Government remains committed to their welfare and will not abandon them.

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Eko Hot Blog reports that the minister gave the assurance during a visit to Aba Samuel Prison in Ethiopia on June 11, where she led a Nigerian delegation to meet with inmates and prison authorities.

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According to a statement issued on Saturday by Magnus Eze, Special Assistant on Communication and New Media to the minister, the visit followed the signing of a prisoner transfer agreement between Nigeria and Ethiopia.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu disclosed that the agreement, signed on June 10, could pave the way for the transfer of about 98 Nigerians currently serving prison terms in Ethiopia back to Nigeria to complete their sentences.

She explained that the agreement was signed on behalf of Nigeria by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), while Ethiopia’s Minister of Justice, Hanna Arayaselassie, signed for her country.

“The agreement allows about 100 Nigerians serving jail terms in Ethiopia to be transferred back to Nigeria to complete their sentences. The inmates are mainly held in Aba Samuel and Kaliti prisons,” she said.

The minister noted that the beneficiaries would include 96 male inmates and two female inmates, provided they consent to the transfer and have at least one year of their sentence remaining.

She described the agreement as a product of the Tinubu administration’s citizen diplomacy policy, which forms part of the government’s 4-D foreign policy framework of Diplomacy, Democracy, Development and Demography.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu revealed that four Nigerian inmates died while discussions, legal processes and negotiations leading to the agreement were ongoing.

She urged Nigerians living abroad to respect the laws of their host countries and conduct themselves in ways that uphold the country’s image.

While assuring the inmates of government support, she stressed that such intervention should not be seen as encouragement for unlawful behaviour.

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“The Nigerian government remains committed to ensuring that citizens who find themselves in conflict with the law are not abandoned and that their rights are protected within the framework of the law,” she said.

She added that the government would continue to provide opportunities for skills acquisition, capacity building and other initiatives aimed at helping citizens pursue legitimate means of livelihood.

Also speaking during the visit, the Assistant Controller-General of Operations of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Aminu Yusuf, assured the inmates that arrangements were in place to receive them upon their return.

According to him, the inmates would first be processed at the Kuje Correctional Centre before being transferred to correctional facilities closer to their families, depending on administrative considerations.