FG seeks repatriation of Nigerians in Ethiopian jail

The Federal Government has expressed concerns about the conditions of Nigerians serving jail terms in Ethiopia.

The Chairman,  Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, on Wednesday, noted that most of the Nigerians in Ethiopian jail were arrested for drug-related offences.

This was made known in a statement signed by the spokesperson, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, on Wednesday.

Dabiri-Erewa disclosed that “the Nigerian Mission in Ethiopia has proposed an MOU from the Nigerian Correctional Service on transfer of sentenced persons to Nigeria with the Ethiopian authorities to complete their respective jail terms in Nigeria, and are awaiting a response from Ethiopia.

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 “Though Ethiopia had granted an amnesty to Nigerian prisoners in 2019, a number of Nigerians still found their way back to the country and allegedly still committed the same drug-related crimes and were re-arrested.”

This was as the Federal Government and the Nigerian Mission in Ethiopia demanded full investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of a Nigerian, Chizoba Eze, in Ethiopian prison.

Eze was said to have died in Kaliti Prison, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  on March 12, 2023, following an alleged physical aggression.

Dabiri-Erewa  condoled with Eze’s family, while expressing concerns about the conditions of Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons.

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