FG Receives Five Nigerians Rescued From Côte d’Ivoire Prison, Seeks Rehabilitation For Returnees

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Stella Omona
The Federal Government has received five Nigerian nationals who were rescued from prolonged detention at the MACA Prison in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, following diplomatic intervention by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The returnees, who arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, were received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, alongside the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, and other senior government officials, a statement said on Wednesday.

The five returnees—Aliyu Malami, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa’adu Bello and Lyman Mohammed—were part of a group of six young men from Sokoto State who travelled by road to Côte d’Ivoire on a trading trip in August 2025.

They were arrested by Ivorian authorities and detained for several months without being charged or tried.
Sadly, one of the detainees, Usama Murtala, died shortly after regaining his freedom.

According to the Minister, Murtala became seriously ill while in custody and received inadequate medical attention. He died in a critical care hospital on June 24, 2026, a day after the detainees were released, and was buried the following day in Côte d’Ivoire in accordance with Islamic rites after consultation with his family in Sokoto State.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu explained that the Nigerian government was unaware of the men’s detention until April 2026, when the matter was brought to her attention. She said she immediately directed the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan to intervene, leading to sustained diplomatic engagements that eventually secured their release.

“There was no charge sheet. There was no trial. They were simply detained and taken to prison,” the minister said, describing the circumstances surrounding their incarceration as deeply troubling.

She attributed much of the ordeal to language barriers, noting that the young men, who could not speak French, were unable to communicate effectively with authorities or access legal representation in the French-speaking country.

“They could not speak English in an environment where French was spoken. They never really stood a chance,” she stated.

The minister described Murtala’s death as a tragic reminder of the dangers associated with irregular migration and the vulnerability of young Nigerians who travel abroad in search of better opportunities without fully understanding the legal systems of their destination countries.

“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 and are subsumed under its weight. Usama’s story remains a painful reminder of how fragile life can be for young people who embark on such journeys,” she said.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu disclosed that the Federal Government would pursue the matter with the Ivorian authorities and seek compensation over the circumstances surrounding the detention and death of Murtala.

She also urged Nigerians to avoid embarking on risky and irregular journeys abroad, warning that many citizens imprisoned overseas are often arrested while transiting through foreign countries.

According to her, the government’s intervention reflects the Citizen Diplomacy policy under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places the welfare and protection of Nigerians abroad among its priorities.
The minister appealed to the Sokoto State Government to support the rehabilitation and reintegration of the returnees through skills acquisition and empowerment programmes.

She revealed that the Federal Government had already written to the Sokoto State Government requesting assistance for the five young men, noting that they had endured severe trauma and hardship during their incarceration and deserved support to rebuild their lives.

Speaking on behalf of the returnees, Aliyu Malami recounted that what began as a business trip turned into months of detention under harsh conditions due largely to language barriers that prevented them from explaining their situation to the authorities.

He expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for securing their release and facilitating their safe return to Nigeria, pledging to rebuild his life through legitimate business activities.

The returnees also received relief packages from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other government agencies before departing for Sokoto State, where they are expected to reunite with their families.