Nigeria and Ethiopia have signed a Prisoner Transfer Agreement that will allow Nigerian inmates serving jail terms in the East African country to return home and complete the remainder of their sentences.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed this during a visit to AbaSamuel Prison in Addis Ababa, where several Nigerians are currently incarcerated.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the agreement was a major breakthrough under the federal government’s citizen diplomacy policy and would provide relief to affected inmates and their families.
The minister, in a Facebook post on Saturday, June 13, 2026, disclosed that she visited the prison to inform the inmates that arrangements were underway for their transfer to Nigeria following the signing of the agreement between both countries.
Describing the moment as emotional and uplifting, she noted that the development would enable the prisoners to serve the remainder of their terms closer to their families and within Nigeria’s correctional system.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu revealed that four Nigerian inmates had already died in custody in Ethiopia, while several others were battling serious health conditions and urgently required improved medical care and assistance.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu stated: “This Prisoner Transfer Agreement with the Government of Ethiopia is a landmark. Under the Citizen Diplomacy imperative of the Renewed Hope Agenda, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, remains committed to the welfare and protection of Nigerian Citizens abroad.
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“We will continue to work actively to ensure that our citizens abroad feel the full weight of their Home Government.”
The agreement, according to the federal government, will see both countries transfer prisoners between them in line with their respective laws and international obligations.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), signed the agreement for Nigeria, while the Minister of Justice, Hanna Arayaselassie, signed for Ethiopia.
The Special Assistant on Communication and New Media in the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Magnus Eze, in a statement, said the agreement was facilitated by Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and her Ethiopian counterpart, Gideon Timothewos, at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Addis Ababa.
According to her, the arrangement recognises the role of family, language, culture, and social support systems in the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders.
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