Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has welcomed the completion of the prisoner transfer agreement between Nigeria and Ethiopia, describing it as a humanitarian intervention that protects the rights and dignity of Nigerian citizens abroad.
In a statement shared on social media, Obi commended the efforts of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, and the Ethiopian government for facilitating the transfer of more than 100 Nigerian inmates to continue serving their sentences in Nigeria.
While praising the successful conclusion of the agreement, Obi expressed sadness over reports that at least four Nigerians died in Ethiopian custody before the transfer process was completed. He noted that the deaths highlight the human cost of prolonged diplomatic and administrative procedures and the pain endured by families who lost loved ones far from home.
The former Anambra State governor urged Nigerians to reflect on the socio-economic factors driving many young citizens to seek opportunities abroad under difficult circumstances. According to him, many of those affected were young Nigerians who left the country in search of better livelihoods.
Obi stressed the need for government policies that create jobs, improve access to quality education, and build an environment where hard work is rewarded, arguing that such measures would address the root causes of migration and reduce the risks faced by Nigerians overseas.
He also called for proper rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for the returning inmates, emphasizing that the prisoner transfer should serve as both a humanitarian gesture and a reminder of the need to build a nation that empowers and protects its citizens.
QUOTE:
“We must ask ourselves what drives our young and productive population into desperate circumstances across the globe.”
— Peter Obi
