Reactions trail cruel treatment of 250 Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons

When Dr. Paul Ezike’s video about the purported mistreatment of some Nigerians in Ethiopia’s Kaliti Prisons, Addis Ababa, appeared on social media recently, it served as a brief reminder of the treatment that Nigerians have allegedly been subjected to in a number of prisons outside of Nigeria, mainly in Asian nations and Libya in recent years.

Unsettling reports concerning the cruel treatment of Nigerians in China’s Guangdong Prisons have surfaced in the past. There was even an accusation at one point that some of them were being assassinated covertly and their vital organs being taken for commercial gain.

Still, the situation is essentially the same as that of Nigerian inmates in other Chinese prisons, including Beijing’s. In the meantime, conditions for Nigerian prisoners in other Asian nations, such as Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, are likewise not pleasant.

In Libyan jails, where many of them have frequently landed themselves, there have also been graphic accounts of the ordeals endured by Nigerian migrants attempting to flee to Europe through Libya. Therefore, many people were more alarmed when Dr. Ezike’s video surfaced online since this time, another African nation is implicated.

Over 250 Nigerians were in danger of dying if immediate action was not done by the Nigerian government or other intervention agencies, as Ezike had expressed in the video.

According to his allegations, the majority of the prisoners were merely law-abiding tourists who had committed no crime other than staying at Ethiopia’s transit hub airport.

The majority of those Nigerians, according to the report, did not commit any crimes.

Per the article, their transgression consisted solely of being Nigerian. In his video, Ezike reaffirmed this, saying, “Once you have a green passport, you are like a suspect.” You’ll be segregated, subjected to delays, and forced to miss your trip. They attempt to incite you, and after you become agitated and argue, they will inform you that you will have to spend $5,000 in order to take another plane back to your own country.

“If you talk too much, you’ll be taken directly to the hospital, and if they check and nothing is found, you’ll be taken directly to prison.” Additionally, they hand you a document stating that you will spend 18 to 20 years behind bars without being prosecuted.

Remember that two Nigerians, Ms. Favour Chizoba and Mr. Joachim Uchenna Nwanneneme, were rumored to have passed away at the same Kaliti Prison under dubious circumstances earlier this year. For no other reason than that they were Nigerian, many blamed their deaths on intentional torture.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has brushed off the allegation as “overly dramatic,” but neither chamber of the National Assembly is accepting it at face value. Reaching the source of the issue is their goal.

The Senate has directed its Committee on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs to examine the report and investigate the circumstances that resulted in the imprisonment of more than 250 Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons, including Kaliti Prisons. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has extended an invitation to Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman of the Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), to provide additional insight into this unfortunate development.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Dr. Ezike’s account as “exaggerated and blown out of proportion,” and said that the Nigerian Mission in Addis Ababa had done nothing to address the “alleged plight of Nigerian inmates.” The statement was issued in response to the report.

On Wednesday, October 4, the Senate gave its Committees on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora instructions to look into the circumstances behind the detention of 250 Nigerians in Ethiopia and report back with their findings in two weeks.

This came after a proposal made in the plenary on Wednesday by Senate Minority Leader Simon Mwadkwon.

Like a lot of other Nigerians, Mwadkwon was unable to accept the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ denial of the online allegation that claimed over 250 Nigerians were being mistreated in Ethiopia without having committed any crimes.

Despite the Ministry’s dismissal of the report as inflated and exaggerated, several Nigerians continued to use social media to demand that the federal government step in and take immediate action about the alleged unlawful detention of Nigerians by the Ethiopian government.

During the plenary, Mwadkwon presented his motion and expressed his disapproval of the report, citing its lack of legal foundation in the provisions of international courts, to which Ethiopia and Nigeria are signatories.

According to a video clip circulating on social media, Nigerians are being held captive in Ethiopia’s highest jail and are in grave danger. This demands for an immediate intervention and comprehensive investigation.

There is absolutely no justification for taking away someone’s dignity, much less their life, given this nation’s sovereignty and the sanctity of life and property guaranteed to all Nigerians worldwide as enshrined in Sections 33, 34, and 35 of the 1999 constitution as amended, which contain comparable provisions governing international courts, agreements, and conventions to which both Ethiopia and Nigeria are signatories.

In the 21st century, when nation-states are called for unity, “it is pathetic that citizens of a nation as populous as Nigeria, the giant of Africa, are being held in captivity,” the speaker said. “But Ethiopia has chosen the shallow path to maltreat and mistreat the citizens of Nigeria without any justification, as shown in a video.”

Protecting residents’ lives and property is the primary duty of any government, thus Mohammed Mongunu (Borno North), who seconded the resolution, likewise urged the administration to step up to the plate.

“Citizen-driven diplomacy is meant to be the cornerstone of our foreign policy. No matter where they are, Nigerians ought to be the focal point of our diplomatic relationship. They ought to be centered on the needs of the people because, as stated in our constitution, the defense of people’s lives and property is the fundamental function of government.

“A government ought to act immediately to safeguard the lives and interests of its people, and should not delay any longer than necessary,” stated Mongunu.

Reprezenting Benue Northwest, Titus Zam also urged the government to communicate with the Ethiopian embassy in order to obtain the release of Nigerian prisoners incarcerated in Ethiopia’s highest prison.

It addresses the fundamental rights that Nigerians, both at home and abroad, are entitled to. I believe it is our duty as human beings to try to safeguard Nigerians wherever they may be, even though we are ill-informed about the types of crimes and offenses committed by the people from Nigeria who are listed for execution in Ethiopia.

“I am in favor of taking immediate action in coordination with the Ethiopian embassy in Nigeria to resolve this issue without causing any harm to any Nigerian, regardless of the circumstances that may exist in that country.”

Following his directive for Senate committees to look into the matter, Senate President Godswill Akpabio denounced prejudice against Nigerians abroad in his remarks. He asked that the problem of Nigerians living abroad be given serious consideration by the appropriate authorities.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria’s relevant authorities should treat the lives of Nigerians seriously, both in Nigeria and abroad. Every Nigerian’s life is very important. I would also like to take this occasion to ask them to do so.

“I am aware that a large number of Nigerians face discrimination in countries such as South Africa, and that other nations have even ceased granting green passports, claiming that they are ineligible to cross their borders with them—some of those nations not even covering the entirety of Enugu State.

“As we examine this matter, I believe it is crucial to take action to restore the authority of Nigeria—the largest Black nation globally,” stated Akpabio.

Consistent with this, the House of Representatives called NIDCOM head Dabiri-Erewa and foreign affairs minister Tuggar to account for the situation.

On Thursday, October 5, the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, and others made a motion that was later adopted.

Even while Chinda admitted that there was widespread victimization and mistreatment of Nigerians in the East African nation, he also pointed out that some of the inmates were apprehended while using Ethiopia as a transit point. Chinda restated the number of Nigerians incarcerated in Ethiopia at 250.

“At the moment, there are some Nigerian inmates at Ethiopia’s Chaota Maximum Security and other prisons. The majority of them are tourists who use the Ethiopian airport as a bridge between destinations. Due to regular attacks, some 250 Nigerians are presently serving varying prison sentences in Ethiopia. He objected, saying that if immediate action is not taken to save them, they may die in prison.

Tuggar and Dabiri were consequently ordered to appear before the committees on foreign affairs, the diaspora, and human rights by the House. After then, the committees have two weeks to give their reports.

Notwithstanding the fact that Nigeria’s legislative branch has taken action, Nigerians are urging the government to use all of its diplomatic resources to guarantee that Nigerians detained in Ethiopian prisons are either released unconditionally if it is determined they are innocent or sent back to Nigeria to serve out their sentences for any crimes they may have committed.

The argument put up is that the Nigerians in question should not be permitted to stay in prison there, unless they have committed offenses other than immigration offenses. They further contended that since migration is a necessary aspect of human existence, it is not a crime, whether it is regular or irregular.

Osita Osemene, who is a Migration Consultant and the creator of the Patriotic Citizens Initiative, participated in the conversation and expressed the opinion that nothing new had happened with this development. He cited the fact that Nigerians are imprisoned in different nations for a variety of offenses.

According to him, there are situations where Nigerians are truly found to have committed a crime, but in other situations, they are simply singled out because they are Nigerian. This is because there is a widespread perception that most Nigerians are dishonest and should be dealt with harshly even in the absence of any evidence of wrongdoing.

He pointed out that there were Nigerians incarcerated abroad who were known to have committed crimes ranging from drug offenses to financial fraud to cult-related offenses to entering other countries without the necessary paperwork.

“We even had a similar conversation while I was in Italy, and our Italian counterparts gave us explanations for why so many Nigerians are incarcerated there.

Due to their involvement in several cults, including Black Axe, Vikings, and Aiye, among others, some Nigerians are imprisoned in Italy. That being said, what can you say when a significant number of Nigerians are incarcerated in Italy for the reasons mentioned above? However, this does not imply that Ethiopians are also at fault. Numerous of them might be innocent.

It does not follow that just because we all support migration, you will travel to another person’s nation and start committing crimes and horrors there.

Numerous Nigerians are carrying out atrocities abroad, notwithstanding the possibility that some of them have committed crimes that are not as serious and should still be investigated.

“Undocumented migration is a crime against the state, and many nations take it seriously. Most nations don’t take it lightly when someone enters their country without the required paperwork or is brought in by criminal means.

Therefore, the majority of Arab nations, including Ethiopia, do not have laws that support migrants. Therefore, as a migrant, you might suffer very serious penalties for even little offenses, and that is exactly what is happening in Ethiopia right now.

The majority of Nigerians there commit one or two transgressions and suffer the consequences. Furthermore, not all of them possess documents equally.

Osemene, the National Secretary and Head of Programs for the Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse, and Labour in Nigeria, bemoaned the fact that most Nigerians pretend to be foreign nationals in order to enter a country and only reveal their true identities when they encounter difficulties.

“There’s also the problem of most Nigerians not entering Ethiopia as Nigerians,” he stated. They assert that they are foreign nationals. Some say they are from Ghana, while others believe they are from Mauritania or other such places.

However, they will begin claiming to be Nigerians when there is an issue. Because there is a lot of fraud and Nigerians frequently run into problems, we will thus keep raising awareness among them.

Regarding the appropriate course of action for the government, Osemene stated: “I am aware that the Nigerian government maintains ties with each of these nations to some extent.

“Wherever they have signed treaties and bilateral agreements with Ethiopia, they should look into them and see if they can be of assistance.” The government may utilize a bilateral agreement or treaty to allow individuals convicted of serious crimes to return to Nigeria to complete their jail sentences.

Furthermore, Nigeria ought to investigate small offenses in order to pardon the offenders and allow them to return home because the consequences they face there are intolerable.

To put it another way, if Ethiopia and Nigeria have a similar agreement, I propose exchanging prisons. Indeed, there is a possibility of a prison swap if they have individuals incarcerated in Nigeria.

“Because migration is not a crime, persons whose offenses are common migration-related offenses should be released. Every person has the right to migrate, whether it is regularly scheduled or not, and they are all protected by the law as long as they haven’t committed any other crimes.

An other contributor was Shehu Yusuf, a former member of the Katsina State House of Assembly, who said, “Any Nigerian who commits crime outside Nigeria should know that there are various laws guiding our country and other countries.”

“While we do not condone the actions of Nigerians who commit crimes abroad, there are guidelines and norms that a convicted person must follow.

No matter what nation a Nigerian is found guilty of, there are fundamental human rights that must be upheld.

“It’s excellent that this is taking place. To determine the true cause of the issue, the Nigerian embassy in Ethiopia ought to investigate.

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“It’s not that Nigeria backs criminals in other nations; rather, in cases when the accused are innocent, the government need to step in and utilize all diplomatic avenues to try to spare their lives. I suggest that prudence be the guiding principle,” he declared.