Foreign Affairs Minister Receives Five Nigerians Rescued from Ivorian Prison

 

Five young Nigerians who were detained in MACA Prison, Abidjan, Cote D’ Voire since August last year, and recently rescued by the Federal Government have returned to the country.

 

 

According to a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by Dr. Magnus Eze, Special Assistant to the Minister on Communications,  Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu was accompanied by the Director General of National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu and other government officials, when the  returnees were received at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Tuesday evening.

 

 

 

Six of them; Aliyu Malami, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa’adu Bello, Lyman Mohammed and Usama Murtala, had gone on a trading trip from Sokoto to Abidjan by road, were arrested; incarcerated without charge or trial before the federal government’s intervention.

 

 

 

When their unfortunate circumstance was brought to the minister in April this year, she had quickly contacted the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan.

 

 

 

However, sustained engagements by the Nigerian Mission, and diplomatic interventions by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, culminated in securing their release.

 

 

 

But, following the precarious conditions in the prison, one of the detainees, Usama Murtala became ill, and with poor medical attention, his health worsened over time.

 

 

 

Usama was unlucky as he died in a Critical Care Hospital on June 24, 2026, a day after they were released by the Ivorien authorities.

 

 

 

He was buried the next day according to Islamic rites after due consultation with his family in Sokoto.

 

 

 

Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu explained that the Nigerian authorities were not informed of their detention, which delayed diplomatic intervention.

 

“There was no charge sheet. There was no trial. They were simply detained and taken to prison,” she said.

 

She attributed their ordeal partly to language barriers, saying the detainees were unable to communicate effectively or access legal representation in the French-speaking country.

 

The minister said: “They could not speak English in an environment where French was spoken. They never really stood a chance.”

 

Continuing, the minister said Usama’s story represented what many Nigerians especially those on irregular migration suffer outside the country.

 

 

 

“Many of our prisoners overseas are vulnerable young people who leave home in search of opportunity, caught in a web of judicial or unjust systems they do not fully grasp and are subsumed under its weight.

 

 

 

“Usama’s story remains a painful reminder of how fragile life can be for young people who set out on these journeys to unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar systems without knowing what await them.

 

 

 

“We will be taking up the case with the Ivorian Authorities for compensation,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.

 

 

 

She warned Nigerians against making such risky journeys in search of opportunities abroad, noting that many Nigerians imprisoned overseas were intercepted while transiting through foreign countries.

 

 

 

Odumegwu-Ojukwu emphasised that the Federal Government’s intervention was in line with the Citizen Diplomacy initiative of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises the welfare and protection of Nigerians wherever they may be.

 

 

 

The minister, then, appealed to the Sokoto State Government to provide rehabilitation and skill acquisition opportunities for the five youths.

 

 

 

Odumegwu-Ojukwu disclosed that the Federal Government had already written to the Sokoto State Government, requesting support for the returnees through capacity-building programmes aimed at helping them rebuild their lives. She said the young men had endured severe pain, trauma, and hardship, and deserved support to reintegrate into society.

 

 

 

One of the returnees, Aliyu Malami, said he travelled to Côte d’Ivoire for business but ended up spending months in detention under difficult conditions.

 

According to him, language barriers made it impossible for them to explain their situation to the authorities.

 

Aliyu expressed appreciation to the Nigerian government for securing their release and facilitating their return, saying that he will rebuild his life and return to legitimate business.

 

The minister handed them packages from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other agencies.

 

They are expected to reunite with their families in Sokoto on Wednesday.