Federal High Court Orders Repatriation of 270 Nigerians Held in Ethiopia's Kaliti Prison by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NIDCOM

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Federal High Court Orders Repatriation of 270 Nigerians Held in Ethiopia's Kaliti Prison by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NIDCOM

The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) to facilitate the return of 270 Nigerians currently detained in Kaliti Prison, Ethiopia. 


Justice Inyang Ekwo issued an order of mandamus, compelling both the ministry and NIDCOM to bring back the detained Nigerians after Ethiopia's government declared it lacked the budget to support them.


In his ruling, Justice Ekwo stated, “I find that the applicants have made a credible case for this court to issue an Order of Mandamus to compel the 1st and 2nd respondents to perform their statutory functions.”


The case was initiated by applicants Sunday Mmaduagwu, Henry Anyanwu, and Leonard Okafor, representing Nigerians imprisoned in Ethiopian facilities. They filed a motion citing the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules of 2009, the Nigerian Constitution, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, seeking the repatriation of the detained citizens.


The applicants alleged that many of the Nigerians detained had not been formally tried, lacked language interpreters, and were subjected to harsh treatment, including physical abuse leading to injuries and death. Additionally, they claimed detainees were denied access to legal representation, medical care, and proper food, which was acknowledged by NIDCOM in a television interview.


The court documents, including the judgment delivered on November 14, highlighted that the applicants' motives were reasonable, given the expectation that the Nigerian government should intervene on behalf of its citizens in need abroad. Justice Ekwo emphasized that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NIDCOM had a statutory duty to provide such assistance and must not evade their responsibilities.


However, the judge declined the request to declare that the rights of the detained Nigerians had been violated by the respondents, though he affirmed the need for immediate government action to bring the detainees home.


(Source: NAN)

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