The Nigerian community in Cote d’Ivoire has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently address the plight of Nigerians suffering under harsh conditions in Ivorian prisons.
The call underscores the alarming number of detainees, many of whom are reportedly innocent but remain incarcerated due to administrative hurdles or extortion by local elements.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Chief Davidson Ogbu, Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Community in Cote d’Ivoire and Coordinator of the Delta State Community, urged the federal government to collaborate with Ivorian authorities to secure the release of unjustly detained Nigerians and improve the conditions for those serving sentences.
Ogbu highlighted the dire circumstances faced by many detainees, noting that a significant number are ill and unable to afford the administrative fees necessary to resolve their cases. He stressed the urgency of the situation, warning that further delays could lead to deteriorating health conditions and loss of lives among the prisoners.
“I am raising this alarm because of the huge numbers of Nigerians languishing in Cote d’Ivoire prisons. I want the federal government to intervene because some of them are going through inhumane conditions,” Ogbu said.
He added, “Some of them did not commit crime, they just need administrative clearance. There is a need for our federal government to intervene at this time because the huge number of Nigerians in prison is so enormous that it is becoming so alarming.
“Many of them were thrown into prison by some of the elements who will go to the villages and arrest these women and extort them, and those who could not [pay] are kept in the prison.
“Many of them are sick, and many of them don’t have the administrative fee to free themselves. Little, little things are what is holding them. Nigerian government needs to intervene, maybe through the Prison Service in Nigeria by collaborating with the Prison Service in Cote d’Ivoire, and see how they can give better conditions to Nigerian prisoners.”
Ogbu also called on the Nigerian government to address the systemic issues contributing to these detentions, emphasizing the need for comprehensive support to ensure justice and welfare for Nigerian citizens living abroad.