Five young Nigerians who were detained without trial in Côte d’Ivoire for nearly a year have finally returned home following a direct diplomatic intervention by the Federal Government.
A sixth member of the group died from illness just one day after their release was secured.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, alongside the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, officially received the traumatized returnees at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Tuesday evening.
The ordeal began in August last year when six young traders - Aliyu Malami, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa’adu Bello, Lyman Mohammed, and Usama Murtala - set out on a road trip from Sokoto State to Abidjan for business.
Upon arrival, they were arrested by Ivorian authorities and thrown into the notorious MACA Prison in Abidjan.
They were held in custody for over nine months without ever being formally charged, given a trial, or allowed access to legal representation.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu revealed that the Nigerian government was entirely unaware of their situation until April this year, when the case was finally brought to her attention.
She reportedly immediately activated the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan, launching a sustained diplomatic effort that eventually forced the Ivorian authorities to release them.
Speaking to journalists at the airport, the Foreign Affairs Minister highlighted how a severe language barrier contributed to the young men being held by a foreign judicial system.
“They could not speak English in an environment where French was spoken," she said. "They never really stood a chance.”
“There was no charge sheet. There was no trial. They were simply detained and taken to prison,” she said.
The diplomatic breakthrough came too late for Usama Murtala.
Having fallen severely ill due to the harsh and precarious conditions within the prison, Murtala's health deteriorated rapidly under poor medical care.
He died in a critical care hospital on June 24, just 24 hours after Ivorian authorities granted their release.
Following consultations with his family in Sokoto, he was buried the next day in Côte d’Ivoire according to Islamic rites.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu confirmed that Nigeria will not be letting the matter slide, stating that the government will take up the case with the Ivorian authorities for compensation.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry says it has written a formal request to the Sokoto State government, urging it to immediately step in with rehabilitation, trauma counseling, and skill acquisition programs to help the young men rebuild their lives.
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