PICTORIAL: Nigeria Secures Release Of 6 Traders Detained Without Trial In Côte d’Ivoire

The Federal Government has secured the release and return of six young Nigerians who were detained without charge or trial at the Maison d’Arrêt et de Correction d’Abidjan (MACA) Prison in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, for several months.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed the development in a post on its verified Facebook page on Wednesday.

The returnees arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, where they were received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, alongside the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, and other government officials.

The Ministry stated, “Six of them, Aliyu Malami, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa’adu Bello, Lyman Mohammed and Usama Murtala, had gone on a trading trip from Sokoto to Abidjan by road, were arrested, and incarcerated without charge or trial before the government’s intervention.”

It added that the men were incarcerated at the MACA Prison without being charged or tried, remaining in detention until the Federal Government intervened through diplomatic efforts to secure their freedom.