Dozens of Nigerians remain locked up in Ethiopia as the long-awaited Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on prisoner repatriation drags on, with the Ethiopian government yet to ratify the agreement.
The MoU, which would allow convicted Nigerians to serve their sentences back home, has faced repeated delays despite sustained diplomatic efforts and growing calls from civil society.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, confirmed on Wednesday that Nigeria had completed all required formalities, blaming Ethiopia for the stalemate.
Over 270 Nigerians are currently serving prison terms in Ethiopia, mainly for drug-related offences. Families and rights groups have repeatedly raised alarm over dire conditions in detention centres, citing poor medical care, food shortages, and alleged extortion by prison officials.
Advocacy groups say the conditions have already claimed lives. In March 2023, Favour Eze reportedly died at Kaliti Prison after being brutalised by officials, while another inmate, Uchenna Nwanneneme, died of tuberculosis in September of the same year.
Despite a Federal High Court order in November 2024 directing Nigerian authorities to expedite the prisoners’ return, progress has stalled. Ethiopia’s envoy to Nigeria, Ambassador Legesse Geremew Haile, admitted the agreement was still awaiting parliamentary ratification, even as pressure mounted during an April 2025 diplomatic meeting in Abuja.
“It is sad that some Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons have already died due to these harsh conditions,” said Ambassador Onwuka Collins of the My Dreamalive Development Foundation. “We cannot continue to watch helplessly as our brothers languish without a fair trial.”
With hundreds still behind bars and lives at risk, Nigerian officials insist they are pressing Ethiopia to fast-track the deal.
