The Nigerian Senate has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the detention of 250 Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons.
The decision to probe this matter was prompted by a motion presented by the Senate Minority Leader, Simon Mwadkwon, during a recent plenary session.
A report circulating on social media had raised concerns about the alleged inhumane treatment and maltreatment faced by these Nigerians in Ethiopia, despite not having committed any offenses.
The report called on the Nigerian government to intervene in the illegal incarceration of its citizens.
Mwadkwon, while presenting his motion, expressed deep concern over the reported incarceration, emphasizing that it lacked a legal basis according to international court provisions, to which both Nigeria and Ethiopia are signatories.
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He urged the Senate to promptly intervene and conduct a comprehensive investigation into the reasons behind the detention of these 250 Nigerians in Ethiopian maximum-security prisons.
Senators, who contributed to the debate, supported the motion.
The Senate, therefore, directed its committees on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs to investigate the issue and report their findings within two weeks.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in his remarks, condemned discrimination of Nigerians in other countries and urged relevant authorities to take the issue of Nigerians in the diaspora seriously.
He said, “I am aware that many Nigerians are suffering discrimination in places like South Africa and some of the countries have even stopped receiving green passports, saying that they cannot use the green passports to enter their countries and some of those countries are not even up to the size of Enugu State.
“I think it is important that while looking at this issue, we should also take steps to reestablish the authorities of Nigeria; the largest black country in the world.”