After Ekwo’s Judgment, Federal Govt Secures Release Of 136 Nigerians From Ethiopian Prisons

The federal government has secured the release and repatriation of 136 Nigerians imprisoned in Ethiopia, nearly two years after a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja ordered it to intervene in their prolonged detention.

The breakthrough followed the signing of a Prisoner Transfer Agreement between Nigeria and Ethiopia in Addis Ababa on 11th June, 2026, bringing to fruition the 14th November, 2024, judgment of Justice Inyang Ekwo.

The agreement was facilitated by the minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and her Ethiopian counterpart, Gideon Timothewos. It was signed by the attorney-general of the federation and minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), and Ethiopia’s minister of Justice, Hanna Arayaselassie.

The agreement paved the way for the return of the 136 Nigerians, many of whom had spent years in Ethiopian prisons serving sentences for drug-related and immigration offences.

The development marked the implementation of Justice Ekwo’s judgment in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/305/2024, filed by Mmaduagwu Pius Sunday and others against the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Court records showed that more than 270 Nigerians were serving various prison terms in Ethiopia, with many held at the notorious Kaliti and AbaSamuel prisons in Addis Ababa.

Reports of overcrowding, poor medical care, malnutrition and alleged abuse had heightened public concern, especially following the deaths of some inmates, including Chizoba Favour Eze, Uchenna Nwanneneme and Basil Lawrence Ilobi.

In his judgment, Justice Ekwo held that the Ethiopian government’s admission that it lacked the resources to adequately cater for the inmates, which intervened in the Nigerian government’s imperative.

He consequently granted an order of mandamus compelling the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NIDCOM to facilitate the prisoners’ repatriation.

“The first and second respondents cannot be allowed to argue their way out of their respective statutory functions,” the judge ruled, holding that the applicants had established a compelling case for government intervention.

Despite the judgment, implementation stalled for several months, prompting families of the detainees to petition President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, and NIDCOM in September 2025, demanding the conclusion of a prisoner transfer arrangement between the two countries.

Diplomatic efforts gathered momentum in 2025 and 2026, with Odumegwu-Ojukwu leading negotiations with Ethiopian authorities, including Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Legesse Geremew Haile, to fast-track the agreement.

Speaking during one of the engagements, the minister said: “Our people do not want to hear that another Nigerian inmate has died in an Ethiopian prison,” stressing that Nigeria had fulfilled all the procedural requirements for the transfer arrangement.

The agreement was eventually signed in Addis Ababa earlier this month, with both countries describing it as “rooted in the principles of humanity, justice and cooperation”, paving the way for the return of the 136 Nigerians home.