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Nigeria and Ivory Coast have discussed possible frameworks for prisoner transfer arrangements involving sentenced nationals of both countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.
The issue was raised during a meeting between Foreign Minister Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu and Ivorian Ambassador Kalilou Toure on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to a ministry statement issued on Wednesday, the two diplomats explored “possible frameworks for prisoner transfer arrangements involving sentenced nationals, in accordance with applicable legal provisions and bilateral agreements.”
The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on Tuesday, 26 May 2026, received the Ambassador of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire to Nigeria, His Excellency, Kalilou Toure to discuss bilateralrelations. pic.twitter.com/XHW6yo3tPt
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria 🇳🇬 (@NigeriaMFA) May 27, 2026
The discussions come as part of broader efforts to strengthen bilateral ties between the two West African nations.
The meeting also covered trade expansion, with Odumegwu Ojukwu describing Ivory Coast as “one of Nigeria’s major trading partners in Africa.”
She also noted the need to further expand bilateral cooperation into areas such as “cosmetics, perfumes, coffee production, petroleum products, technical partnerships, and industrial manufacturing,” according to the statement.
Both sides also emphasised “the importance of intelligence sharing, security collaboration, and coordinated regional responses in addressing emerging security challenges.”
The two diplomats reviewed existing Memoranda of Understanding and expressed optimism about reactivating pending bilateral agreements during “the forthcoming bilateral session scheduled to be held in Côte d’Ivoire.”
The prisoner transfer arrangement, if finalised, would allow nationals convicted in either country to serve their sentences in their home nation, in line with standard international practices; however, no timeline for the agreement was disclosed.
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria 🇳🇬 (@NigeriaMFA) May 27, 2026
