The Nigerian miserable in Ethiopian prison when the repatriation agreement stopped

Nigerians’ dozens of Nigerians are still jailed in Ethiopia because of diplomatic efforts to secure their transfer houses continue to face setbacks, after delay in ratifying the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) about the transfer of people who are convicted between the two countries.

The agreement, which was designed to enable Nigerians to be convicted to serve the remaining prison sentences in Nigeria, has not been approved by the Ethiopian government despite months of negotiations and pressures from advocacy groups.

Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, confirmed on Wednesday that the detention was located in Ethiopia, not Nigeria.

“The ministry has fulfilled its own formality for the transfer of people who were punished by the MoU. It is a jammed Ethiopia side,” he said through his aide, Magnus Eze.

According to official data released in 2023, more than 270 Nigerians are currently serving various sentences in Ethiopia, most of the violations related to drugs. Civil society organizations and prisoners’ families consistently raises concerns about what they describe as inhuman conditions in the detention center.

Ambassador of Collins onwuka, President General of the Foundation for the Development of My Dream, last week condemned the situation, describing the condition of the prison as “sad” and accusing widespread harassment.

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“It is very sad that some Nigerians in Ethiopia prison have died due to this hard condition, while others suffer from disease, including kidney stones and strokes. We cannot continue to watch without power when our brothers miserable in prison without a just court,” he said.

Collins further suspected inadequate food provisions, poor medical care, negligence, extortion, and brutality by prison officials.

The Federal High Court in November 2024 ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigeria at the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) to facilitate the return of the Nigerians who were imprisoned in Ethiopia, noted that the authority of Ethiopia had claimed to be lacking resources to care for foreign prisoners adequately.

Apart from this direction, progress remains slow. On April 17, 2025, Odumegwu-Ojukwu led the Nigerian delegation to meet with the Ethiopian ambassador to Nigeria, Legesse Gememew Haile, suppressing the direct ratification of the MoU. “Our people do not want to hear that other Nigerian prisoners died in Ethiopian prison,” he warned, lamenting what he called the lack of political will of Ethiopia.

Ambassador Haile reiterated the diplomatic relationship of Ethiopia with Nigeria but acknowledged that the MoU was still waiting for approval by the Ethiopian House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, a prolonged delay has been proven to be fatal. On March 12, 2023, supporting Eze, a prisoner in Kaliti prison in Addis Ababa, reportedly died after allegedly brutalizing by prison officials. Another Nigeria, Uchenna Nwanneneme, surrendered to tuberculosis on September 21, 2023, after receiving a little or no medical attention.