Reps summon foreign affairs minister, others over ill-treatment of Nigerians in Ethiopia

 

The House of Representatives has issued summons to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in response to allegations of mistreatment of Nigerian citizens in Ethiopia.

This directive came on Thursday following a motion brought forward by Kingsley Chinda, the Minority Leader of the House, along with support from ten other members. The motion addressed the distressing incidents of victimization, maltreatment, and unlawful detention of Nigerians, including air travelers, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Among those supporting the motion were Hon. Abdussamad Dasukki, Hon. Laori Kwamoti Bitrus, Hon. Aliyu Madaki, Hon. Unyime Idem, Hon. Nkwonta Chris, Hon. Abbas Adogun, Hon. Kabiru Ahmadu, Hon. Ibe O. Osonwa, and Hon. Ginger Onwusibe.

According to a recent report by SaharaReporters, numerous Nigerians held at Kaliti Prison in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, have been subjected to mistreatment by the country’s law enforcement authorities.

The report highlights the tragic demise of Uchenna Nwanneneme, a Nigerian detainee at Kaliti Prison, whose cause of death remains undisclosed. Hailing from Anambra State, Nwanneneme was one of approximately 300 Nigerian inmates housed in the Ethiopian penitentiary.

They were arrested over allegations of possession of hard drugs and money laundering.

Leading debate on the motion, Chinda alleged that one Paul Ezike in a “save our soul message” circulated a message at the instance of a Nigerian allegedly arrested and put in Ethiopia prison.

He stated that some Nigerians were serving sentences at the Chaota Maximum Security Prison and other Ethiopian prisons and that many of them were travellers who used the Ethiopian airport as a transit point.

According to the lawmaker, they were indiscriminately arrested at the Ethiopian Airport in Addis Ababa, taken to the hospital, and forcefully injected with some substances before being transferred to prison.

The lawmaker added that Nigerians in Addis Ababa and all over the world should be protected and accorded the same protection Nigeria gives to foreigners in Nigeria.

He also corroborated SaharaReporter’s report that over 250 Nigerians were presently serving prison sentences in Ethiopia as a result of repeated attacks, adding that many might die in prison if immediate action was not taken to save them.

He explained that the Nigerians are not only mistreated, but also subjected to excruciating conditions, inadequate nourishment, and lack of medication.