Court Orders Tinubu Government To Secure Release Of 270 Nigerians In Ethiopian Prison
The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Nigerian government, under President Bola Tinubu, to facilitate the immediate repatriation of 270 Nigerians currently detained in Kaliti Prison, Ethiopia. The ruling, delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo, compels the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) to act on their statutory duties to address the plight of the detainees.
The order followed a motion filed by three applicants, Sunday Mmaduagwu, Henry Anyanwu, and Leonard Okafor, who are relatives of individuals imprisoned in Kaliti Prison. They argued that the detained Nigerians have been subjected to inhumane treatment, denied proper legal representation, and, in some cases, arrested without trial due to language barriers and lack of interpreters.
Justice Ekwo, while issuing an order of mandamus, noted that the applicants presented a compelling case that warranted intervention. “The 1st and 2nd respondents cannot be allowed to avoid their statutory obligations,” the judge stated.
The applicants alleged that the conditions in Kaliti Prison were appalling, with detainees denied access to medical care, legal aid, and adequate food. Many inmates reportedly faced torture, wrongful convictions, and death due to neglect. NiDCOM had previously acknowledged the dire situation, describing the food provided to detainees as unfit even for animals and highlighting the Ethiopian government’s appeal for Nigeria to take its citizens back.
In his affidavit, Mmaduagwu described harrowing accounts of young Nigerians arrested in transit, dispossessed of their belongings, and forced to confess to crimes under duress. He revealed that deaths among the detainees occur weekly, with no arrangements made for their burial or repatriation.
The court, however, declined to declare that the rights of the detained Nigerians had been breached, focusing instead on directing NiDCOM and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure their return to Nigeria. Justice Ekwo emphasized the duty of the Nigerian government to intervene when citizens abroad face such conditions, saying, “It is rationally expected that a citizen in distress abroad will seek and receive succor from their home country.”
The judgment, delivered on November 14, 2024, underscores the urgency for action to safeguard the rights and welfare of Nigerian citizens detained overseas.
