The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has visited Nigerians held in prisons in Ethiopia, in a trip tied to a new arrangement aimed at bringing sentenced citizens back home. According to the report, the minister was at the Abba Samuel prison in Ethiopia on Thursday, June 11, where she met some of the detained Nigerians.
The visit came a day after the minister announced a transfer-of-sentenced-persons agreement that has been signed by Nigeria and Ethiopia. The agreement sets out the framework under which convicted Nigerians can be moved from Ethiopian custody to their home country, formalising cooperation between the two governments on the matter.
Under the agreement, about 100 Nigerians who are serving jail terms in Ethiopia can be transferred back to Nigeria to complete their sentences. The arrangement allows the affected citizens to serve the remainder of their terms on Nigerian soil rather than continuing to be held abroad, far from their families.
The inmates covered by the deal are mainly held at the Abbasamo and Kaliti prisons in Ethiopia. According to the report, Ethiopian authorities say that about 98 inmates could benefit from the transfer arrangement reached between the two countries, although the process will depend on how the agreement is implemented.
During the engagement, the minister also used the occasion to send a wider message to Nigerians living outside the country. She said the Nigerian government would continue to encourage its citizens living and travelling abroad to respect the laws of their host countries and to avoid actions that could lead to imprisonment.
The minister added that Nigerians abroad should also uphold the good name of Nigeria wherever they find themselves. Her visit to the detained citizens, together with the newly signed transfer agreement, forms part of the foreign ministry's continued engagement on the welfare of Nigerian nationals held in detention outside the country.