The federal government has received five Nigerians who spent almost a year in detention in Abidjan, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire, without trial.
The group arrived in Abuja on Thursday and were received by officials of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), and the federal ministry of foreign affairs at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, minister of foreign affairs, said the young men — originally six in number — travelled by road from Sokoto to Abidjan to trade in phone parts but were arrested under suspicious circumstances and detained at MACA prison without charge or trial.
“Their unfortunate circumstances was brought to my attention in April this year, and when I contacted our embassy in Abidjan, I was dismayed to discover that they had not even been notified of their arrest by the authorities there,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.
The men, all in their 20s, were identified as Aliyu Malami, Sa’adu Bello, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Lyman Mohammed, and Usama Murtala.
However, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said Murtala fell ill while in detention and received inadequate medical attention, which worsened his condition.
According to the minister, Murtala was released from prison with others and was taken to a critical care hospital for treatment by officials of the Nigerian high commission. However, the intervention came too late.
“He died the next morning, far from home and family, oblivious to the fact that his mother and siblings in Sokoto were excitedly preparing for his return,” the minister said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said Murtala was buried the following day in a cemetery on the outskirts of Abidjan, with his co-detainees and officials of the Nigerian high commission, in accordance with Islamic rites and at the request of his parents.
She said Nigeria would take up Murtala’s case with the Ivorian authorities.
