By Monsurat Abisoye
The Federal Government has announced plans to formally challenge the Ivorian authorities following the death of a Nigerian citizen, Usama Murtala, who died in an Abidjan hospital shortly after being released from a year-long detention without trial.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, disclosed this in a statement posted on her official X account on Tuesday.
According to the minister, Murtala and five other young Nigerians from Sokoto had travelled to Abidjan for a phone parts business when they were arrested under what she described as suspicious circumstances and detained at MACA Prison without being charged or tried.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs only became aware of their situation in April 2026 and was shocked to discover that the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan had not been informed of their arrest by the Ivorian authorities.
She explained that the detainees were held under difficult conditions and that Murtala became seriously ill while in custody. Following sustained diplomatic engagements by the Nigerian Mission in Abidjan and the ministry, the six Nigerians secured their release.
However, Murtala’s health had deteriorated significantly by the time he regained his freedom. Officials of the Nigerian High Commission rushed him to a critical care hospital, but he died the following morning.
The minister said Murtala was buried in Abidjan according to Islamic rites at the request of his family, with Nigerian embassy officials and his fellow former detainees in attendance.
The five surviving Nigerians — Aliyu Malami, Nasiru Umar, Shamsu Abubakar, Sa’adu Bello and Lyman Mohammed — are currently being brought back to Nigeria.
Describing Murtala’s death as a painful reminder of the dangers many Nigerians face while seeking better opportunities abroad, Odumegwu-Ojukwu said the Federal Government would take up the matter with the Ivorian authorities and assured the returning Nigerians of a warm reception upon their arrival.
