HUNDREDS of Nigerians remain incarcerated in Ethiopia under dire conditions as the long-awaited Transfer of Sentenced Persons Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both countries faces continued delays.
News Point Nigeria reports that the agreement, which would allow convicted Nigerians to serve the remainder of their prison terms in Nigeria, has been stalled for months, despite repeated diplomatic engagements and legal directives aimed at fast-tracking the process.
Speaking on Wednesday, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, confirmed that Nigeria had completed all necessary formalities but blamed Ethiopia for the prolonged delay.
“The ministry has fulfilled its own side of the formalities for the Transfer of Sentenced Persons MoU. It is the Ethiopian side that is stalling,” she said in a statement issued by her media aide, Magnus Eze.
According to ministry records, over 270 Nigerians are currently serving prison sentences in Ethiopia, most of them for drug-related offences.
Civil society organisations and families of inmates have continued to raise concerns about inhumane treatment and neglect in Ethiopian prisons.
Ambassador Onwuka Collins, President-General of the My Dreamalive Development Foundation, described conditions in the facilities as “deplorable,” warning that lives were being lost due to lack of care.
“It is sad that some Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons have already died due to these harsh conditions, while others are suffering from illnesses, including kidney stones and stroke.
“We cannot continue to watch helplessly as our brothers languish in prison without a fair trial. We, therefore, need urgent help,” Collins said.
He alleged that inmates endure inadequate food, little or no medical care, negligence, brutal treatment, and extortion by prison officials.
In November 2024, a Federal High Court in Nigeria ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) to expedite the return of citizens imprisoned in Ethiopia.
The court also noted Ethiopia’s admission that it lacked sufficient budgetary provisions to care for foreign inmates.
Despite the ruling, little progress has been made, leaving many inmates and their families in despair.
On April 17, 2025, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu led a Nigerian delegation to meet Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Legesse Geremew Haile, in Abuja. She pressed Ethiopia to expedite ratification of the MoU, expressing frustration over repeated delays.
“Our people don’t want to hear that another Nigerian inmate died in Ethiopian prison,” she said.
In response, Ambassador Haile reaffirmed Ethiopia’s friendship with Nigeria but admitted the agreement was still awaiting ratification by Ethiopia’s House of Representatives, prolonging the stalemate.
The consequences of the delay have been fatal. On March 12, 2023, a Nigerian inmate, Favour Eze, reportedly died at Kaliti Prison in Addis Ababa after being brutalised by officials.
Another inmate, Uchenna Nwanneneme, died on September 21, 2023, from tuberculosis, allegedly due to lack of proper medical care.
As families wait in anguish, the fate of more than 270 Nigerians trapped in Ethiopian prisons now rests on Ethiopia’s political will to finalise the repatriation agreement.