The Federal Government (FG) has demanded compensation from Côte d’Ivoire over the death of a 24-year-old Nigerian trader, Usama Murtala, who died after being detained in an Ivorian prison.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the demand on Friday when she summoned the Ivorian Ambassador to Nigeria, Kalilou Traore.
This was disclosed in a statement by the minister’s media aide, Magnus Eze.
Usama and five other Nigerians, Aliyu Malami, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa’adu Bello and Liman Mohammed, were said to have travelled from Sokoto to Abidjan by road in August 2025 for business.
They were reportedly arrested and detained at the MACA Prison in Abidjan without charge or trial.
“They were, however, recently released following sustained engagements by the Nigerian Mission and diplomatic interventions by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the statement said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu asked the Ivorian envoy why Nigerian authorities were not informed of the detention, which she said delayed diplomatic intervention.
She said the traders were hindered by language barriers and denied access to legal representation.
The minister said, “These young men were simply detained and taken to prison.
“For these months, they had poor nutrition as they were fed once a day. Two of them were critically ill, and one eventually died.
“Nobody could give reasons why they were arrested and detained for so long without trial or charge.”
The minister also said the traders’ phones, goods, money and other personal belongings were not returned after their release.
She said, “We want you to communicate this to the authorities in Abidjan.
“This should be properly investigated; it should be probed. And anytime there are issues involving our nationals, the embassy in Abidjan should be informed. We are aware of what language barriers could cause.
“So, we seek compensation for the dead young man’s family and a commitment that Côte d’Ivoire will, going forward, treat our nationals with dignity.”
In response, Traore expressed condolences to the deceased’s family and to Nigeria. He promised to communicate Nigeria’s concerns to the authorities in Abidjan.
