FG Receives Five Nigerians Rescued From Ivorian Prison, One Dies in Detention

Five Nigerians detained in MACA Prison, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, since August 2025 have returned home after federal government intervention, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, alongside National Orientation Agency Director-General Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu and other officials, received the returnees at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Six young men from Sokoto State had traveled by road to Abidjan for trading. They were arrested and detained without charge or trial, the ministry said. The six were identified as Aliyu Malami, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa’adu Bello, Lyman Mohammed and Usama Murtala.

Following sustained diplomatic engagement by the Nigerian Mission and the ministry, the detainees were released. 

However, Usama Murtala fell ill in prison due to poor medical attention. He died on June 24, 2026, at a Critical Care Hospital, a day after their release. He was buried June 25 in line with Islamic rites after consultation with his family.

“There was no charge sheet. There was no trial. They were simply detained and taken to prison,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said. She noted that Nigerian authorities were not informed of the detention, which delayed intervention.

The minister said the detainees could not speak French and had no legal representation. “They could not speak English in an environment where French was spoken. They never really stood a chance,” she said.

She described Usama’s case as a reminder of risks faced by Nigerians abroad, especially those on irregular migration. 

“Many of our prisoners overseas are vulnerable young people who leave home in search of opportunity, caught in a web of judicial or unjust systems they do not fully grasp.”

Odumegwu-Ojukwu said Nigeria will take up Usama’s case with Ivorian authorities for compensation. She warned Nigerians against risky journeys abroad, noting many citizens imprisoned overseas were intercepted while transiting foreign countries.

The intervention, she said, aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and its Citizen Diplomacy initiative.

The minister appealed to the Sokoto State Government to provide rehabilitation and skill acquisition for the five returnees. She disclosed that the Federal Government has written to the state requesting capacity-building support to help them reintegrate.

“They had endured severe pain, trauma, and hardship, and deserved support to reintegrate into society,” she said.

One of the returnees, Aliyu Malami, said he traveled to Côte d’Ivoire for business but spent months in detention under difficult conditions. He said language barriers made it impossible to explain their situation to authorities. He thanked the government for securing their release and said he plans to rebuild his life and return to legitimate business.

The ministry, National Emergency Management Agency and other agencies provided packages to the returnees. They are expected to reunite with their families in Sokoto on Wednesday.