Back home with scars: five Nigerians recount Côte d'Ivoire prison ordeal

Return marked by relief and loss

For nearly 10 months, MACA Prison in Abidjan held six young Nigerian traders who had travelled from Sokoto State to Cote d'Ivoire in August last year in search of legitimate business opportunities. What began as a hopeful overland trip ended in prolonged detention, isolation in a country whose language they did not speak, and the loss of one of their companions.

On Tuesday evening, five of them, Aliyu Malami, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa'adu Bello and Lyman Mohammed, arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after their release through the intervention of the Federal Government. Their return closed a long chapter of detention, but it did not bring the full group home.

Usama Murtala, one of the six detainees, died on June 24, a day after regaining his freedom, after an illness reportedly worsened by poor medical care during detention. He was buried the following day in line with Islamic rites after consultations with his family in Sokoto State.

For the five men who returned, the homecoming came with the weight of survival and grief.

Arrest without trial in a foreign system

The six young men had travelled to Abidjan believing they were embarking on an ordinary trading expedition. Instead, they were arrested and imprisoned without trial or formal charges, remaining in custody for months before Nigerian authorities became aware of their situation.

Receiving the returnees in Abuja, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu said their experience should concern every Nigerian, describing a detention process in which the men were taken into custody without any formal legal basis explained to them.

There was no charge sheet. There was no trial. They were simply detained and taken to prison,

— Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs

For months, the detainees struggled to understand what was happening around them. In an unfamiliar legal environment shaped by a language they could not speak, they were unable to explain themselves or navigate the justice system.

They could not speak English in an environment where French was spoken. They never really stood a chance,

— Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Vulnerability abroad and the cost of isolation

The case highlights the risks facing migrants whose pursuit of economic opportunity can turn into legal and humanitarian crises. Without interpreters, legal representation or timely diplomatic support, even ordinary misunderstandings can become life-altering.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu said many Nigerians imprisoned outside the country are not necessarily hardened criminals, but vulnerable young people who leave home seeking a better future and become trapped in systems they do not understand.

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,

— Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs

For Usama Murtala, that vulnerability proved fatal. His death, the minister said, underscored the fragile conditions facing young people who travel into unfamiliar environments without understanding the systems around them.

a painful reminder of how fragile life can be for young people who set out on these journeys to unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar systems without knowing what await them.

— Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Federal Government has pledged to pursue compensation from the Ivorian authorities over the circumstances surrounding the case.

Diplomatic intervention and support for returnees

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the breakthrough came after the government learned of the detention in April and directed the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan to intervene. Weeks of diplomatic engagement eventually secured the release of the six Nigerians.

The ministry said the intervention reflected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Citizen Diplomacy initiative under the Renewed Hope Agenda, which places emphasis on the protection and welfare of Nigerians abroad.

Beyond securing their release, the government said it provided support packages through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Emergency Management Agency and other agencies before the returnees continued their journey back to their families in Sokoto.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu also appealed to the Sokoto State Government to support the five returnees through rehabilitation and skills acquisition programmes. She said the Federal Government had already written to the state government seeking assistance to help them rebuild their lives.

A second chance shaped by grief

Speaking on behalf of the group, Aliyu Malami said he had travelled to Cote d'Ivoire for business but instead spent months in prison under difficult conditions. He said language barriers prevented the group from explaining themselves to the authorities and thanked the Nigerian government for bringing them home.

He also expressed determination to rebuild his life through legitimate business, reflecting a desire to start over after months of detention and uncertainty.

The return of the five men stands as both a diplomatic success and a warning for Nigerian youths considering cross-border journeys in search of opportunity. The story of their detention, and of the companion who did not survive to complete the return home, leaves a lasting reminder of the risks that can accompany such journeys.

As families in Sokoto prepare to receive sons they feared they might never see again, one family is left with loss. For the men who survived, the reunion with home begins a second chance that will remain tied to the memory of the friend who never made it back.