An Abuja-based law firm, Deji Adeyanju and Partners, has written the Nigerian Senate, calling for urgent intervention in the plight of over 200 Nigerians allegedly being detained under inhumane conditions in prisons across the neighbouring Republic of Benin.
In a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and dated September 16, 2025, the solicitors, led by human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju Esq., they said they were acting on behalf of some of the detainees in Prison Civil De Adjagbo Abomey Calavi in Benin Republic, including Ekene Bonaventure, Chigozie Chiedozie, and Hassan Ebbe, as well as over 125 other indigent Nigerians.
The law firm described the situation as “a gross violation of the fundamental rights of these Nigerians” who they alleged were being held “without formal charges, access to fair trial, (or) fair hearing, amounting to harsh, inhuman and degrading treatment in contravention of internationally accepted human rights standards.”
They warned that the alleged maltreatment of the detainees contravenes international instruments binding on both Nigeria and Benin Republic, including the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment (1979, as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, ratified in Nigeria as Cap A9 of the Laws of the Federation.
The letter further claimed that many of the detainees had been denied access to legal assistance, medical treatment, and basic necessities. “In fact, same has resulted in the recent death of one Salami Deyomi, from Lagos State, who died due to overcrowding in the prison cell and lack of medical attention,” the letter stated.
The lawyers urged the Senate, under Akpabio’s leadership, to take three key steps which include instituting a Senate fact-finding mission through its committees on Foreign Affairs, Diaspora Relations, and Human Rights to investigate the situation of Nigerians in Beninese prisons, mandating the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Embassy in Cotonou to secure consular access to all detained Nigerians, and applying diplomatic and parliamentary pressure to ensure Benin complies with ECOWAS and African Union human rights standards.
The law firm stressed that the credibility of Nigeria depends on how strongly it defends its citizens at home and abroad. “It is pertinent to note that the credibility of our dear country—Nigeria—is measured by how strongly it defends the rights and dignity of its citizens both at home and abroad,” the lawyers wrote.
A detailed list of detainees, numbering over 120 names from different Nigerian States, was attached to the letter. The firm also indicated that there were likely other Nigerians languishing in various prisons across the Benin Republic who are facing similar conditions.
The letter was copied to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), and the Embassy of the Republic of Benin in Abuja.
As of press time, the Senate was yet to issue a response to the petition.
