Nigeria and Ethiopia have signed a landmark Transfer of Sentenced Persons Agreement that will allow convicted nationals of either country to serve the remainder of their prison terms at home, marking a significant advance in bilateral consular cooperation and what Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu described as a humane and citizen-centered approach to criminal justice for Africans incarcerated far from their families and communities.
The agreement was signed in Addis Ababa by Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi and his Ethiopian counterpart Hanna Arayaselassie, facilitated by the foreign affairs ministers of both countries who were present for the ceremony. Under the arrangement, eligible convicted nationals may, subject to legal requirements and agreed conditions, be transferred to their country of origin to complete their sentences.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the accord recognized that family bonds, cultural familiarity, shared language, and social connections were not peripheral considerations in correctional practice but factors with a direct bearing on the prospects for genuine rehabilitation and successful reintegration into society. She said modern correctional systems needed to go beyond punishment to create conditions in which offenders could reform, and that the agreement reflected both countries’ commitment to that principle.
The minister delivered a somber disclosure during the ceremony, revealing that four Nigerian prisoners had died in Ethiopian custody while the negotiations, legal reviews, and ratification processes required to conclude the agreement were ongoing. She said with more than 100 Nigerians currently incarcerated in Ethiopian prisons, including four women, the implementation of the agreement was urgent and the government could not afford further delay or further loss of life.
She was scheduled to visit the Kaliti and Aba Samuel prisons during her stay in Addis Ababa to personally assess conditions for Nigerian inmates and accelerate the practical arrangements for those eligible for transfer. Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gideon Timothewos described the agreement as a milestone in a bilateral relationship spanning more than six decades and called for sustained coordination on the wide range of issues of mutual interest shared by Africa’s two most populous nations.
