Dozens of Nigerians remain behind bars in Ethiopia as efforts to repatriate them stall, following delays in finalising a crucial Memorandum of Understanding between both countries.

The agreement, which would allow convicted Nigerians to serve the remainder of their sentences at home, has yet to be ratified by the Ethiopian government despite repeated diplomatic engagements and mounting pressure from civil society groups.

Speaking on the matter on Wednesday, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said the delay was not from the Nigerian side.

“The ministry has fulfilled its own side of the formalities for the Transfer of Sentenced Persons MoU.

It is the Ethiopian side that is stalling,” she said through her media aide, Magnus Eze.

The ministry disclosed in 2023 that more than 270 Nigerians were serving various prison terms in Ethiopia, mostly for drug-related offences.

Families and advocacy groups have continued to raise alarm over the poor conditions in detention centres.

President-General of the My Dreamalive Development Foundation, Ambassador Onwuka Collins, condemned the situation last week, describing conditions in the prisons as “deplorable.”

“It is sad that some Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons have already died due to these harsh conditions, while others are suffering from illnesses, including kidney stones and stroke. We cannot continue to watch helplessly as our brothers languish in prison without a fair trial. We, therefore, need urgent help,” Collins said.

He further alleged reports of abuse, citing “inadequate food which is often self-made, inadequate medical care and negligence, brutal treatment, as well as extortion by prison officials.”

Despite a Federal High Court ruling in November 2024 ordering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission to facilitate the return of Nigerians imprisoned in Ethiopia, progress remains stalled.

The court had also noted Ethiopia’s admission that it lacked the budget to care for foreign inmates.

Renewed pressure was mounted on April 17, 2025, when Odumegwu-Ojukwu led a delegation to meet the Ethiopian Ambassador to Nigeria, Legesse Geremew Haile, urging Ethiopia to expedite the MoU.

“Our people don’t want to hear that another Nigerian inmate died in Ethiopian prison,” the minister said, expressing frustration over what she called a lack of political will from Ethiopia despite earlier assurances.

Ambassador Haile, while reaffirming Ethiopia’s ties with Nigeria, admitted the MoU was still awaiting ratification by the country’s House of Representatives.

The prolonged delay has already claimed lives. On March 12, 2023, Favour Eze, held at Kaliti Prison in Addis Ababa, reportedly died after being brutalised by prison officials.

Another inmate, Uchenna Nwanneneme, died on September 21, 2023, from tuberculosis after allegedly receiving little to no medical attention. (PUNCH)