Tinubu dispatches delegation to secure release of 300 Nigerians from Ethiopian prison

President Bola Tinubu has sent a high-level delegation to Addis Ababa to negotiate the immediate repatriation of nearly 300 Nigerian nationals serving prison sentences in Ethiopia, where they are reportedly held in deteriorating conditions at Kaliti maximum-security prison.

The delegation, comprising the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, is mandated to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ethiopian government that would allow the transfer of the prisoners to Nigeria to complete their sentences in local correctional facilities.

Official sources said the directive came directly from the President, with the delegation departing on Tuesday. The urgency was driven by the worsening physical condition of the inmates, with several deaths recorded in recent years.

More than 270 Nigerians are currently serving prison terms in Ethiopia, mostly for drug-related offences. Advocacy groups have alleged overcrowding, starvation, lack of medical care, and physical punishment at Kaliti Prison. At least three Nigerian inmates have died in custody since 2023, including one following alleged brutalisation and another from tuberculosis after receiving little medical attention.

The Federal Government had previously completed its side of the prisoner transfer formalities, but the MoU awaited ratification by Ethiopia’s House of Representatives. In January 2026, Ethiopia ratified transfer agreements with other countries, but not with Nigeria.

Families of the inmates have appealed for intervention, and a court order in November 2024 directing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the prisoners’ return had yielded no immediate action. The latest push marks the first direct presidential intervention in the three-year-old diplomatic standoff.