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The Nigerian Government has received five citizens rescued from detention at the Maison d’Arrêt et de Correction d’Abidjan (MACA) Prison in Côte d’Ivoire after months of diplomatic efforts secured their release.
The returnees were welcomed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, alongside the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Lanre Issa-Onilu, and other government officials.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the minister’s Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Magnus Eze, the returnees were identified as Malam Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa’adu Bello, Lyman Mohammed and Aliyu Malami.
The ministry said six Nigerians were initially detained, but one of them, Usama Murtala, died shortly after regaining freedom.
According to the statement, the six men travelled by road from Sokoto to Abidjan for business in August 2025 before they were arrested and detained without formal charges or trial.
The Nigerian Government only became aware of their detention in April 2026, prompting the foreign affairs minister to direct the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan to intervene.
The ministry said sustained diplomatic engagements by the embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs eventually secured their release.
However, Murtala reportedly became ill due to harsh prison conditions and inadequate medical care. He died at a critical care hospital on June 24, 2026, a day after his release, and was buried in Côte d’Ivoire the following day in accordance with Islamic rites after consultations with his family in Sokoto.
“One of the detainees, Usama Murtala, who reportedly became ill due to the harsh prison conditions and inadequate medical care, died at a critical care hospital on June 24, 2026, a day after the group regained freedom.
“He was buried the following day in Côte d’Ivoire according to Islamic rites after consultations with his family in Sokoto,” the statement said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the Nigerian authorities were initially unaware of the men’s detention, delaying intervention. She noted that they had been imprisoned without charges or trial and explained that language barriers left them unable to communicate effectively or access legal representation in the French-speaking country.
The minister described Murtala’s death as a tragic reminder of the dangers many young Nigerians face when travelling abroad in search of better opportunities. She said many Nigerians imprisoned overseas were vulnerable youths caught in unfamiliar legal systems and announced that the government would pursue compensation from the Ivorian authorities over the case.
“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 set out on these journeys to unfamiliar environments with unfamiliar systems without knowing what awaits them.
“We will be taking up the case with the Ivorian authorities for compensation,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.
She also urged Nigerians to avoid risky migration, noting that many citizens detained abroad had encountered problems while transiting through foreign countries.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the government’s intervention reflected President Bola Tinubu’s Citizen Diplomacy initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises the protection and welfare of Nigerians abroad.
She appealed to the Sokoto State Government to support the returnees through rehabilitation, skills acquisition and capacity-building programmes, adding that the Nigerian Government had already written to the state requesting assistance.
Speaking on behalf of the returnees, Aliyu Malami said they had travelled to Côte d’Ivoire for business but ended up spending months in detention under difficult conditions. He said the language barrier prevented them from explaining their situation to the authorities and thanked the Nigerian government for securing their release and facilitating their return home.
The returnees were later presented with support packages from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Emergency Management Agency and other government agencies ahead of their reunion with their families in Sokoto.
