Last moments of Nigerian imprisoned in Cote d’Ivoire

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has recounted the harrowing ordeal of Usama Murtala, a Nigerian who died in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, a few days after his release from prison, where he was held alongside others without charge or trial.

Usama had travelled from Sokoto to Abidjan with Aliyu Malami, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa’adu Bello and Lyman Mohammed in search of greener pastures.

In a tribute titled “A Song for Usama,” the minister said the Nigerian nationals were arrested under suspicious circumstances and detained at the MACA prison without charge or trial since last year.

Ojukwu said the young men, all in their twenties, left Sokoto by road, full of hope and ambition, believing they were heading for better opportunities through their phone parts business in Abidjan.

She said they were kept far from home without access to language support or familiar faces and were effectively abandoned in prison.

According to the minister, the plight of the detainees came to her attention in April this year.

She said she immediately contacted the Nigerian mission in Abidjan, only to discover that the Ivorian authorities had not informed the embassy of their arrest.

She described the prison conditions as harsh, adding that Usama fell ill while in detention and his health deteriorated because of inadequate medical care.

Ojukwu said sustained diplomatic engagements by the Nigerian mission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs eventually secured the release of the detainees.

She, however, described the development as bittersweet, saying Usama’s condition had become critical by the time he regained his freedom.

According to her, officials of the Nigerian High Commission in Abidjan rushed him to a critical care hospital immediately after his release in a desperate effort to save his life.

“But alas, it was too late for Usama. He died the next morning, far from home and family, unaware that his mother and siblings in Sokoto were eagerly preparing for his return,” she wrote.

The minister said informing the family of his death was one of the most painful moments she had experienced.

“Usama had seen freedom, but did not live long enough to return home and enjoy it,” she said.

She disclosed that the deceased was buried the following day at a cemetery on the outskirts of Abidjan in accordance with Islamic rites, in line with the wishes of his parents.

His fellow detainees and officials of the Nigerian High Commission attended the burial.

She described Usama’s death as a reflection of the plight of many vulnerable Nigerians imprisoned abroad after leaving home in search of better opportunities, only to become trapped in unfamiliar judicial systems.

According to her, the tragedy highlights the risks many young Nigerians face when they migrate in search of greener pastures.

“It is a human story of youth, migration, survival, hope, the cost of dreams carried far away and, ultimately, loss. It mirrors the pain that sits in the silence of families waiting for someone who will never walk through the door,” she said.

Ojukwu said the Federal Government would take up Usama’s case with the Ivorian authorities.

The survivors arrived in Abuja on Thursday and were received by officials of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), and the federal ministry of foreign affairs at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

The minister described them as young Nigerians who had triumphed over adversity.

She warned Nigerians against undertaking risky journeys in search of opportunities abroad, noting that many citizens imprisoned overseas were intercepted while transiting through foreign countries.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu also appealed to the Sokoto State Government to rehabilitate the returnees by providing them with skill acquisition and capacity-building opportunities to enable them to rebuild their lives after the trauma they endured.

Speaking on behalf of the returnees, Malami said he travelled to Côte d’Ivoire for business but ended up spending several months in detention under difficult conditions.

He said language barriers made it impossible for them to explain their situation to the authorities and expressed appreciation to the Nigerian government for securing their freedom and facilitating their return.

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