Nigeria Ethiopia Prisoner Transfer Deal to Repatriate 100 Inmates

Nigeria and Ethiopia signed a landmark bilateral Prisoner Transfer Agreement on June 11, 2026, paving the way for approximately 100 Nigerian inmates currently serving prison sentences in Ethiopia to be repatriated and complete their custodial terms in Nigeria, close to their families and support networks.

The agreement was facilitated by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who personally visited Nigerian inmates at AbaSamuel Prison in Addis Ababa on Thursday, June 11, to announce the deal and assure them that the federal government had not abandoned them. ‘Your country will not desert you,’ Ojukwu told the inmates during the visit.

In a video shared on her official X handle on Saturday, inmates at AbaSamuel Prison were seen celebrating the announcement and expressing gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for prioritising the welfare of Nigerians abroad. A spokesperson for the inmates said they would maintain good conduct if repatriated and thanked the administration for securing the agreement.

Who Qualifies for Transfer

About 98 inmates are expected to benefit from the arrangement, including two women. However, eligibility is subject to legal and administrative conditions, including that the inmate must have at least one year remaining on their sentence and must give individual consent to the transfer. Officials said those who meet the criteria would be processed in phases once administrative procedures between the two governments are completed.

Ojukwu described the prisoner transfer initiative as part of the Tinubu administration’s citizen-centred diplomacy under its 4-D foreign policy framework, which she said was anchored on Diplomacy, Democracy, Development, and Demography. She added that protecting Nigerians overseas remained a key priority, regardless of the circumstances in which they found themselves abroad.

Furthermore, the Federal Government promised to provide training and reintegration support for returning inmates to help them rebuild their lives on arrival in Nigeria. Officials said a programme of vocational training, counselling, and community support would be designed before the first transfers take place. However, civil society groups called on the government to ensure that the reintegration programme was adequately funded and independently monitored to produce genuine outcomes for returning inmates. Still, the signing of the agreement was widely praised as a meaningful diplomatic achievement. Notably, the deal strengthens bilateral ties between Nigeria and Ethiopia at a time when both countries are deepening economic and diplomatic cooperation across multiple sectors. Consequently, the Nigerian inmates in Ethiopia will be watching the administrative follow-through closely to see when physical transfers will begin.

Ojukwu Assures on Consular Commitment

In addition, Ojukwu said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was reviewing the situations of Nigerian nationals in prisons across other countries and would pursue similar prisoner transfer agreements wherever feasible. As a result, the Ethiopia deal may serve as a template for similar bilateral arrangements with other nations where significant numbers of Nigerian citizens are serving custodial sentences.