More than 100 Nigerians serving jail terms in Ethiopia are set for repatriation after Abuja and Addis Ababa concluded a prisoner transfer agreement.
Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, travelled to the Ethiopian capital with Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi to sign the bilateral pact.
They were received by Ethiopia’s minister of state for foreign affairs and the chief of protocol.
Announcing the deal on social media, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the arrangement would allow Nigerians in Ethiopian detention facilities to complete their sentences at home.
She disclosed that lengthy negotiations, legal reviews and ratification delays had already cost lives, with four inmates dying before the agreement was finalised.
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"We cannot afford to lose any more precious lives. We are determined to bring home the living," the minister stated.
Many of those affected are reportedly held at Kaliti and Aba Samuel prisons in Ethiopia.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu described the deal as a reflection of historic ties between both nations, rooted in humanitarian values and mutual cooperation.
She urged Nigerians abroad to obey host country laws while reaffirming that protecting citizens overseas remains a priority for President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The minister also thanked Ethiopian authorities for their cooperation.
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